Street sellers included barrow boys, costermongers and street traders, who were itinerants, without capital, a fixed shop or regular customers.The barrow boys were extremely mobile, both geographically and socially.

Mr. Harding recalls his beginnings:

“I first started in Oxford Street with my father after I left school. He was a navy man really, you see. He was called up. Before the war he worked in a fried fish shop: he used to muck about doing a bit of fishing. He used to clean fish.”

“We were living in Claremont Row, in Sussex Street, until we got a little better off. Dad came out the navy and started up on his own in the market, in Oxford Street. Originally, this market was made for ex-servicemen only, see. I don’t know if they paid anything for the stalls”

Oxford St still contains a number of small shops, interestingly no 29 is still dealing with watches as it was in the 1920’s.

As you reach the end of Oxford St you will have arrived at the Level. This was the site of many market stalls in the early part of the 20th Century.