One firm fixture at the time was Shone's ironmonger's which used to sport a sign for Esso Blue paraffin in its window - which many people used to fuel domestic heaters and stoves. The newsagent's ...

Behind them is Shone’s ironmonger’s, featuring a sign for Esso Blue, which readers may recall as a brand of paraffin used for domestic heaters and stoves. Next door is a newsagent’s ...

Who cared if they were convenient or not? I remember my first-ever sale, as it happens - a gallon of paraffin with a free floppy record (the Esso Blue song), two ounces of barley sugar and a pack of ...