Newsagent’s rare sign star billing at Antiques Roadshow

Newsagent’s rare sign star billing at Antiques Roadshow

29 April 2020

A VINTAGE Fry’s Chocolate advertising board from a Ballynahinch shop was one of the items of interest featured on the BBC’s recent Antique Roadshow which was filmed in Castle Ward.

The large enamelled metal poster has been displayed proudly from before 1939 in the porch of the Charles’ newsagents in Main Street.

Viewers of last Sunday night’s show found out that the advert — known as the Five Boys — was a famous trademark of its time like the Coke Cola logo and known throughout the world.

It shows five different images of a young boy’s face as he is shown with chocolate in his mouth in the final picture.

Charles’ is owned by Allister Charles — the third generation of the family — to run the newsagents – and expert Marc Allum said on the show that the advert was worth around £1,500.

Mr Charles, who runs the shop with his wife Allison, was not able to be at Castle Ward for the filming last year.

As he wanted to find out more about the advert, he entrusted it into the care of his friend, Paul Beattie, and his mother, Ann. Mrs Beattie was stunned to have been interviewed as part of the programme.

Mr Charles said that he thought the programme had not used the interview when the first show from Castle Ward was broadcast in November.

He got a pleasant surprise on Sunday night when he started to receive phone calls and messages from friends.

“I was watching something else at the time,” said Mr Charles. “But I got all these texts telling me to switch to the programme and there it was.

It was good to find out more about the image and how it came about.

“The advert has been hanging on our porch wall since my grandparents, Margaret and John Charles, bought the shop in 1939 so we don’t know how long it had been there before.

It has only been off the wall twice, once in the late 1980’s during renovations and then last year when I took it down to go the Antiques Roadshow.”

The advert shows the changing faces of a young boy, going from crying to being happy with a piece of chocolate in his mouth. The five stages are entitled ‘Desperation, Pacification, Expectation,  Acclamation and Realisation.

Viewers learnt that the child featured was the son of the photographer who actually tied a piece of cloth soaked in ammonia around his neck in order to make him cry.

Mr Charles said the advert would continue to be hung in the porch. “It’s as much part of the business as we are and customers have grown accustomed to seeing it.

“When my parents, Jackson and Noreen, took over the shop, it seemed only right to keep it and I have to as well.”

Mr Charles has been working in the newsagents from childhood but only took it over several years ago.

He says that the impact of the coronavirus lockdown has meant the personal touch of deliveries of newspapers, including the Recorder, has been all important in recent weeks.

“The shop is less busy but we are doing about 150 deliveries a day of newspapers, magazines cigarettes, sweets and chocolates, so we are keeping busy in that way,” he added.

The lockdown has changed the lives of everyone in his family. His 17 year-old son, Joe, is helping out with deliveries as he is off school and has more time available.

His 21 year-old daughter,  Emma, is one of the new nurses who have been deployed in hospitals a few months earlier than they would have been in to help the NHS cope with demand.