Children growing up today will never know the pleasures of these old High Street favourites. I can hardly believe they're no longer there.
Achille Serre
Timothy White's
C & A
MacFisheries
Gamages
Freeman Hardy Willis
Dunn & Co
And even dear old Woolies.
Just a few of the stores that I always considered to be as solid as rock; time has proved that this was not the case.
I didn't know that most of those had gone. I suppose Gorringe's where my school uniform came from has also disappeared.
ReplyDeleteMine came from Harrod's.... That's still there!
DeleteBurtons?
ReplyDeleteStill going strong.
DeleteBlimey, Freeman, Hardy and Willis now there's a store I remember from way back when!
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland, NZ
Jo, have a look at my posting entitled 'Foot-less and Fancy Free'. Just type it into the little white search strip top left.
DeleteAh I remember them well. One of the shops in our market town still has the Freeman Hardy and Willis shop sign painted on the side wall, pretty faded now though.
ReplyDeleteAnd Saxone and Dolcis, all part of the old BSC. I went into C&A in Budapest, it is just the same. It was only in the UK that they couldn't make a success.
ReplyDeleteI think C&A are in France too. In the UK they were just known for cheap Skiing kit.
DeleteWhat was Achille Serre? There was FHW 35 yrs ago when we moved here to the small town of Harpenden, and a Woolies and Macfisheries. Woolies became Argos, and it has recently become the library. Macfish changed to Iceland for a few years, and is now M and S food. There was also a Dewhirst butchers but that went long ago, though apparently an independent butcher is opening soon in an empty shop that was briefly a tanning salon . I think they very quickly went bust and did a " moonlight"!!
ReplyDeleteAchille Serre was a chain of dry cleaners. They always had a load of promotional umbrellas by the entrance, for use by clients in case of sudden rain. I always thought that was wonderful. Consideration and trust!
Delete"Argos became a library" sounds like a great change!. FHW were our shop of choice, but our school shoes had come from Clarkes.
DeleteWe had a wonderful shop called "The Midland Drapery" I don't know if this was a chain or local.
School uniform from Harrods!?
Ah how this brought back memories Cro - the big shopping complexes are just not the same are they?
ReplyDeleteI remember Freeman Hardy and Willis - the little stools where the assistant could sit on one end and you could put your foot on the other, rubber-covered, sloping end - the tortoiseshell shoe horns, the personal service. It has all but died out - so sad.
See my reply to Jo above.
DeleteThank you for reminding me of FH and W. Now it's the do it yourself brigade, no one to help you fit your shoes on, well at least here in USA
ReplyDeleteIn Harrogate it was Timothy Whites and Taylors.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see the passing of old favourites. Here, we have lost Eatons among others. No point in getting attached to anything these days...here today and gone tomorrow is the new watchword.
ReplyDeleteNear the end of their lifetime Woollies had some cracking homeware. I thought that it might have revived them. Sadly not, Wilkinson's is not the same!
ReplyDeleteI have several fruit trees that I bought at Woolies back in the UK. Cheap fruit trees in a hight street shop is quite rare.
DeleteSame here Woolworths gone, Grants, Montgomery Ward and quite soon probably Sears and J.C. Penneys
ReplyDelete…… and, Lilly and Skinner. I remember that shoes were 29 shillings and 11d, 39 shillings and 11d, 49 shillings and 11d right up to 89 shillings and 11d. Then there was Lyons Corner house, The ABC Café, The Golden Egg !!!!.We can't live in the past though …. it's actually amazing that some are still there … Gearys, the bakers, Berndes, the fishmongers….. I expect that there are more too. XXXX
ReplyDeleteOne day it will be Much Missed The High Street...
ReplyDeleteNo doubt.
DeleteMy Mum used to take me to Freeman Hardy and Willis for new school shoes (after I had decided I was too grown up for Start Rite and Clarks). I was really sad when Woolworths closed. My big Sisters very first job was at a Woolworths store, great for listening to new records and she always bought me a bag of pick and mix on a Saturday. Happy childhood memories :)
ReplyDeleteTwiggy
Sounds a bit odd but I remember the smell, it smelled so marvelous in Freeman Hardy and Willis.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I walked into Moss Bros,, walked back out again and looked at the signage and confirmed that it was now just called 'Moss', went back in and asked a pimply youth about a new hat. 'You've bin away a while 'aven't you?' he said. So I went to Lock's. That hadn't changed a bit.
ReplyDeleteI bought my bowler from Lock's, when I was in the city. Fabulous shop.
DeleteI still miss Woolies, took my daughters in each week for a treat, and then grandson's. The High street is a sad place these days.
ReplyDeleteYou can always see Woolies in NZ or Oz....
ReplyDelete