'Long-lost brothers' of Charlie the Chimp are here to entertain from Northampton shop window

A cheeky monkey who will look familiar to countless Northampton residents has been joined by a friend in the window of an Abington shop.

In February, many readers took a trip to the past when they got to meet the long-lost brother of "Charlie the Chimp", the tireless toy monkey who entertained passersby from the window of Gordon Scott Shoes in Abington Street during the 1980s and 1990s.

Instead, in the window of The Old Bakehouse Antique Centre in Abington Avenue, a new monkey made his debut and has been entertaining residents ever since.

Now, the Old Bakehouse has revealed they have found a friend for their pet chimp to party with - a trike-riding ape named Billy.

Working together, Billy and his gymnastics partner are sure to put on a great show for passersby and give residents a window to the past.

Both monkeys were uncovered and restored by the friends of the Old Bakehouse's owner, Steve Culverhouse, who found them both in a household garage in Moulton in 2019.

Steve said: "I would love to know where they've been. They both must have such a story.

"My dream is that I will be able to rent them out to other shops for charity so they can be seen in Northampton shop windows again."

Although both monkeys were found at the same time, Steve decided to get 'Billy' waiting in the wings until this week to celebrate the 10th birthday of the antique store.