London riots five years on: Owners of burnt down business House of Reeves still trading

South London business, House of Reeves, that famously burnt down during the London riots is back in business.

Images of the Croydon furniture shop engulfed in flames was one of the most iconic images of the riots in 2011.

Owners Maurice Reeves and Trevor Reeves told London Live that they are continuing to run the 150-year-old business after their main trading site was destroyed – but they are still scarred by the devastation of the fire.

Maurice Reeves said: “I was devastated then and I had to sleep that night – I didn’t really – and the following morning when I came down here it was horrific.

“I’m still suffering from it now actually – every time I come here I see the premises which aren’t there now, and of course I’ve spent a lot of my life here.

“We’ve been here since 1867 and have a lot of expertise and look after our clients. I’m very proud of it – and the staff, of course.”

Co-owner Trevor Reeves told London Live: “When riots go on, you’ve got people that are completely out of control – no standards, no respect, no nothing.

“You’ve got this solid family unit that’s been around for 150 years saying ‘we’re going to carry on, everyone has seen what you’ve done to us, but we’re going to carry on’. And that’s a very powerful message.

“We have two sites in the area, the site that was burnt down, which was the main trading site. It was completely destroyed and had to be demolished within 48 hours.

“The site that we had left was severely damaged – rioters had got inside so things were smashed up, everything was smoke damaged and every single window was broken.

“Having made the decision that we were going to continue trading, the first thing to do was to see what we could actually salvage.

“We redecorated; we restocked, and just got everything going [again].”