Yeah, I got yer new coat right here...

This is a charming photograph for oh, so many reasons:

Whatchoo lookin' at, Guvna?!

First, you are gazing upon the buxom second-hand clothes dealer of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Accept no substitutes. Second, this looks a great place to be. It's squalid and ramshackle, sure, but clearly you can get soap, booze and "good beds" without much difficulty. Plus, after choking down all the McEwen's Special you can handle, you can always stagger into the street and trade a pint for some fancy long trousers with 'ole Mary Two-Times there in the alley.

Mary Two-Times: because clothing isn't the only thing that can be second-handed.

I am astonished at how clean everything looks, though. Somehow, this is upsetting my visions of gritty, urban Victoriana. Isn't the detail incredible?  More information available The Guardian.