In a Very English Town

Comino-James studied his local town, Thame - which lies 45 miles from London - after being asked by a Cuban friend to show her life in his area. The photographs were all taken between July 2007 and June 2008. Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

High Street, Thame. "Although the population has grown considerably in the last 30 years," says Comino-James, "most of the residential and industrial development has taken place within reach of but away from the heart of the town." Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Comino-James interviewed many of the town's shopkeepers, including Emad Razavi at Tapis, North Street, who told him: "When you are a business your door is always open, you have to be a hundred percent sure that the customer will be satisfied." Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Amanda Beaumont at Key Miniatures, Swan Walk. Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Big Issue vendor George, Greyhound Walk. Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Brian Pattinson at The Bookhouse, High Street: "People might very well go into their local bookshop to see a book and then go to Amazon to try and buy that same book cheaper, but in the end their local town is the loser because if that independent bookseller closes then there's no way for people to inspect books, to come in to browse ... and who can deny the joy of quiet moments spent browsing in a bookshop?" Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

David Moss at The Forge, High Street, told Comino-James: "Probably the most interesting work that we do comes about when people are renovating listed buildings. You can't buy anything off the shelf which will satisfy the listed building people so it has to be made in exactly the same way as it was a couple of hundred years ago. You can only do that with a forge and starting from scratch with the heat." Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

"My father, Ralph Seymour, opened up on the first of December 1960 doing all the British bikes at the time," says Liz Barrett at RF Seymour Ltd, motorcycle engineers, in Park Street. "I first came here to help out because the storeman had left. I was waiting to go on to something else, but I just loved it so much I stayed." Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Martin Foster at Thame Farmers Auction Mart Ltd, North Street. This site has hosted lifestock sales since 1951, when there were nine other markets in the region. Now only two remain. Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Sandra Tipping (pictured left with Nicky Priest at Buddies Breakfast and Sandwich Bar, High Street): "It's called Buddies because that's what we are, best friends as well as business partners." Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

"The High Street has changed drastically over the last 20 years," says Terry Guest at Eagle Antiques and Curios, Cornmarket, "I mean drastically, not just a bit." Photograph: John Comino-James/PR

Thame Cycles on Park Street. Photograph: John Comino-James/PR