ONE of Farnham’s longest-running family businesses, Downing Street greengrocer’s G Hone & Sons, closed its doors apparently for good this week after the retirement of its third generation owner Jonathan Durham.

To the shock of passing shoppers, a sign appeared in the greengrocer’s window on Monday morning announcing: ‘This business has now closed due to Jonathan’s retirement, thank you for your support over the years.’

The Hone family first acquired the premises at 52 Downing Street in 1911 shortly after Wimbledon greengrocer George Hone relocated to Farnham with his wife Elizabeth.

George and Elizabeth had two sons and 11 daughters - one of whom, Dorothy, took over the family business after her father’s death in 1938 and in-turn handed it over to her own son, the present day owner Jonathan in 1995.