Gone are the times when one could do one’s shopping in Newport High Street, and at the same time, pop into a restaurant/cafe for a leisurely tea and cake.

The ever-increasing parking charges for car parks etc, have driven shoppers out of town to the supermarkets.

Scroll through the gallery of photos above to see more old Newport shops...

Still, let’s look back at Newport’s heyday, when there was a wide range of butchers, bakers, menders and candlestick-makers.

Regarding bakers and tea shops, perhaps one of the leading bakeries would have been Wrays at the top of the High Street.

Isle of Wight County Press: Wrays bakery. Photo: David White.Wrays bakery. Photo: David White.

Wrays’ distinctive dark blue livered vans would be seen day in, day out, driving around the Island, making copious deliveries and collections. And the extensive grocery store would always be bustling with customers throughout the day.

Further along the high street, opposite St James’ Square, was Weeks’ bakery, shop, restaurant and function rooms.

Considered an upmarket tearooms, this was another busy establishment of the time and its function rooms were always fully booked for those important events of the day.

Further along the High Street, practically opposite St Thomas’ Square, was Harveys restaurant.

Here one would be served tea and cakes, by a waitress dressed in black, with a white frilled pinafore topped by a small white coronet headdress, while you slumbered in one of the Lloyd Loom chairs, surrounding a glass-topped Lloyd Loom table, on which stood a cake stand heaving with cream cakes.

Next stop would be the butchers shop — in St James’ Square was Hayles, one of Newport’s many butchers’ shops, which was sited next to what is the NatWest bank.

After your visit to Hayles you would leave with your Sunday joint tucked safely away,

It must be said that paper bags and carrier bags were always ready at hand and free. And for your cakes you were supplied with a neat cardboard box — again no charge.

Isle of Wight County Press: Neats dated back to 1885. Photo: David White.Neats dated back to 1885. Photo: David White.

Further down Lower St James’ Street was Neats, the ironmongers, paraffin and candle dealer.

Neats operated a small fleet of two or three vans calling door-to-door with deliveries, so if you did not want to visit the shop, then the shop would visit you.

Finally the much-needed cobbler. One of the last traditional cobblers operating was Mr Coward of Carisbrooke, seen in some of the photos in the gallery above.

It was said by some nameless clown in government circles that technology would give us more leisure time, however, what he failed to see was that progression is a treadmill and the faster the wheel turns, the faster you must run to keep up.

Perhaps the secret is not to play this game.

Like reading stories about the Isle of Wight and its characters in bygone days? Click here to visit our Looking Back section for more interesting tales.