Capper’s hardware store fire, Maitland, 1971
Cappers was once a household name in Maitland, NSW, synonymous with hardware. The store had deep roots in the town, having been established in High Street in 1888 by Edward Capper, the British-born son of Birmingham hardware seller Walter William Capper. What began as a very small affair soon grew into a sizeable emporium, packed with hardware, homewares, furniture and other goods from all over the world. Naturally the building grew with the business, and by the time the store shifted to a new address in 1963 the Cappers building was a solid landmark in Maitland's…