GeronL - are you a paid toady of the food industry?
You know, sometimes these places offered delicious food! I used to walk around London looking for these kinds of places. The fish & chips often had this blue or purple sign that you could see in the distance. The chips were outstanding. I came too late for them to be wrapped in newspaper (unfortunately) - they were wrapped in greaseproof paper. Then I learned to dump the malt vinegar on it...wow! In fact, outside of Italian or Indian restaurants in Soho, these were the best places to get a good meal.