Paul took this series of portraits and accompanying textures of the ironmongers, Banfields of Brighton in 2017, to celebrate a family-run local business, that had been serving the community for 156 years.

While the once 40 strong workforce were down to a team of five, the company still operated an ethos of good customer service and a thorough understanding of the trade.

At the time, Paul said “I chose this local ironmongers because it has a charm and a character that I wanted to capture. There’s a history and a quality of service that has become desirable again and we need to be supporting independent stores like this.”

However, during the first lockdown of 2020, the staff of Banfield’s were furloughed never to return and the shop closed. The photographs now take on a different nature, that of an historical document.