Abbey Road was and is the centre of Gornal Wood, it has changed quite a lot over time, in the 1960s a parade of modern shops were built on the land previously occupied by Turner's slaughter house.
Now, the Zoar Church towers over the bus station which has been improved and enlarged over the years.

The real photo postcard c1963, entitled 'Bus Terminus, Gornal Wood' although not actually showing the terminus, the girl is standing in what once was the 'duckle' (duck 'ole), a small duck pond in the centre of the village, a small street market previously occupied the bus stops in the 1930s, now the whole site is covered by the bus terminus.
The prominent Zoar Church and Sunday School stand behind, the Sunday School pictured was demolished and rebuilt further back from the street.
The Junction Inn can be seem in the far background along with the row of old shops along Louise Street.

J.T. Egginton opened a chemist shop in Gornal sometime around 1915, he was advertising for a shop manager in 1924, the earlier shop was then situate at 12 Church Street, Lower Gornal.

The Gornal branch of Egginton's chemist moved to the present premises in Abbey Road, Gornal Wood in the early 1940s, the above building style suggest an earlier use as a garage or car repair business.

J.T. Egginton & Son Chemist were trading in Abbey Road in 1940 according to Kelly's Trade Directory.

J.T. Egginton started the family business in Sedgley in the early 1900s, the pharmacy on the corner of Sedgley High Street became a successful business and expanded to include a department store which was a prominent feature of Sedgley Bull Ring until the 1970s.

Egginton's Gornal Wood branch was comparatively small to the shop in Sedgley, but is still a thriving family run business today.

The adjacent building is presently used as a storeroom, it was previously used as an engineers workshop and in the early 1960s, this was the premises of Abbey Tyres.

It is thought that the above Eggington buildings were originally built and used as a motor garage; George Hodgson was mentioned in the London Gazette of 1939 as (previously) "carrying on a business at Abbey Road Garage, Gornal Wood" .

We will lose these buildings soon, this part of Gornal is to be redeveloped, a new Aldi store is planned together with a relocation of the Chemist shop.

Abbey Road has changed a lot over the years, nowadays a row of modern shops, a small supermarket and car parking mingle with the neighbouring bus station, only a small number of the older shops remain.

In 1967 the new shopping parade was planned in Abbey Road at a cost £120,000, consisting of eight shops with flats above and car parking at the front, these shops were completed in 1968, some of the early tennants were Warringer & Mason, Shand Fisheries, F.Holt and the Midland Bank on the corner which is now occupied by the Dudley Building Society.

Above, locals boarding the 286 which also circulates the Stickley Estate, the Gornal Wood bus station has undergone various improvements and has been updated recently.
The distant large building on the right is the rear of the Alexandra Picture House in Redhall Road, on the left is a partial view of Barclays Bank, the bank closed in 2016 and was adopted as a Charity Shop in 2017.

Details of a few older shops with a little history.

11a,Abbey SRoad which the above view shows on the left, became the Gornal Wood Post Office in the 1950-1960s, (it is now the Village Cafe). William Davies and later William Share were sub-postmasters, they produced several postcard views of Gornal including this one of the Post Office, some earlier views were also published in the 1930's.
During the 1980s-1990s, this was Millards Bakery and is prsently the village cafe.

No.12 Abbey Road in the centre of the picture, is now a Chineses takeway, this was Rene Evans wool shop.
First recorded use as a shop was in 1901 when 75 year old widow Happy Salter was a draper at this address.
In 1911, the shop was occupied by Joshua Jones, a carpenter, his daughter Beatrice Mary was a draper.
By the end of the First World War, Joshua and Beatrice Jones were still there, and from around that time, the drapers shop also doubled as the Post Office for Gornal Wood. In 1939, Beatrice was described as a Sub-Post Mistress & Draper and continued on until the 1940s.
Sometime after, the shop passed to Rene Evans, the wool and haberdashery business continued on until the late 1980s, then in the 1990s, M.R.Timms, solicitors, moved there from Louise Street, finally from 2002 it became a Chinese takaway which is still there today.

On the right is Turner's butcher shop with th slaughterhouse in the background, all of which were demolished in the mid-1960s and replaced with the modern parade of shops which opened in 1968.
It has been suggested that the slaughterhouse wall to the right was 'where they put the pig on the wall to watch the band go by', as so the Gornal Legend goes.

In 1887, trading as butchers, were Wood and Hale, Richard Wood and George Hale, the partnerships was dissolved in 1888.

Further up near where Bank Road adjoins Abbey Road, was the surgery, run by Dr. Donald Cunningham since the early 1930s.

In the early 1960s, the surgery moved to its present position in Bull Street.

The old surgery, shown right, has been used by bookies since that time.

Early businesses trading in Abbey Road.

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1912. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1916. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1921. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1924. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1928. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1936. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1940. [Kelly's Trade Directory]

The following businesses were among those trading in Abbey Road in 1950s-1960s.

Other premises in Abbey Road.