'Time capsule' ironmonger's gains listed status

The former J. H. Adams & Sons building is now the Adams Heritage Centre and still has its original folding gates

A former ironmonger's store dubbed a "time capsule of commercial history" has been granted Grade II listed status.

The old J. H. Adams shop - now the Adams Heritage Centre - in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, served customers for more than a century, specialising in footwear for the local Fen Skaters.

The shop is described as a "remarkable surviving example of a Victorian commercial building" and has been listed by the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England.

"By listing this remarkable building, we're ensuring future generations can continue to learn about and be inspired by this wonderful heritage site," said Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross.

Historic England was now urging people to add any photos, information and memories of the old shop to its Missing Pieces Project, so as much could be known about its past as possible.

Two of the most renowned fen skaters of their day, Turkey Smart and William Lee, would most likely have bought their speed skates from J. H. Adams

The former ironmonger's at 17 Main Street was built in 1893, initially for local ironmongers H. and J. Cutlack, before being bought by John Henry Adams in 1901.

It continued trading as J. H. Adams and Sons until 2010, when it became a heritage centre.

It features original folding wrought-iron gates from 1892, a recessed entrance with tiled floor, etched and painted glass with original business lettering - and mid-19th Century full-height wooden shelving, relocated from Lincolne's chemist in Ely.

Ironmonger assistants Jack Sparrow, who worked for the shop all his working life, and Charlie Lord, in a photo thought to have been taken in the 1930s

The one-time shop also boasts a steel-framed structure - technologically advanced for its time.

As well as recognising the building's architectural elements, the listing notes its social significance.

Adams specialised in fitting and maintaining Hagan Norwegian ice skates – lightweight metal-bladed speed skates popular with fen skaters.

Historic England said the shop was a hub for this distinctive local sport, importing skates from Oslo and developing a UK distribution network.

It also said it formed a cluster of historically important and listed buildings in Main Street.

The former J. H. Adams & Sons building has a shop counter and wooden shelving dating back to the mid 19th Century

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "It is extremely rare to find commercial buildings from the late 19th Century that retain such a high proportion of their original features.

"From the ornate shopfront to the historic shelving units, Adams Heritage Centre provides us with a vivid glimpse into shopping experiences of the past."

Peter Audus, who owns Adams Heritage Centre, said preserving the building for the future had been a "long-term aim", while the Trustees of Adams Heritage Centre said the listing was national recognition of the market town's traditions and heritage.

Hagen Norwegian ice-skating blade were used by local skaters to glide over flooded and frozen meadows in the Fens