High Street

circa 1916

This charming photograph of High Street in Ongar, taken around 1916, offers a timeless glimpse into small-town life in Edwardian England during the First World War.

The quaint row of Tudor and Georgian buildings, with their timber frames and dormer windows, reflects the long architectural history of the town. The visible shop sign “A. Smith” and the central corner shop with awnings and a fruit display suggest a thriving local economy rooted in family-run businesses. Two women in white aprons, perhaps shopkeepers or customers, stand chatting calmly—contrasting with the global chaos of the war beyond.

Ongar’s streetscape seems untouched by modernity, a perfect visual record of a peaceful English village during a turbulent time.

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