Before supermarkets gained the ascendancy, bakers, greengrocers and general stores were never more than a few streets away.

Nostalgia is trying to build up a picture of Leamington's shops in the post war years, and is hoping readers can help with memories and pictures of shops they knew.

Bob Ross grew up in Windsor Street in Leamington in the 1940s and 50s, and remembers two bakers, Cyril Savage and Fred Timms, a fish and chip shop run by a Mr Sadler, a greengrocers run by a Mr Bodfish and a pub, The White Hart.

As a boy the Myton School and later Warwick School pupil would go to the newsagent's run by Mr McCausland for his comics, Hotspur, Rover, Adventurer, Champion and Wizard.

He said: "Everybody seems hell bent on getting us into hypermarkets, but at the end of the day we have the same choice whichever supermarket you go to.

"In those days if you wanted a quarter of a pound of butter or two eggs the grocer would pack them up."

Later in life he moved to a flat above a shop in the Parade, from which he could go to the bakers in Regent Street or a greengrocer across the road.

Mr Ross added: "You didn't need to get your car out and you didn't need to worry about parking. You didn't need to do a monthly shop for the freezer because it was all within walking distance."

Michael Costello, of Masters Road, moved to Leamington in the summer of 1967. He lived in Bath Street above the Beafy Bar where he soon worked as manager.

Among the shops Mr Costello remembers are Liptons the grocer, Clews the furniture shop, the Golden Gate Chinese Restaurant, and the Fine Fare supermarket, as well as a pie shop, a shop selling eggs, a launderette and a greengrocers that burnt down.