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Author Archives: buildingourpast
Looking Back at Beales and Bealesons
Introduction The impending closure of Beales in Poole – the last store to bear that well-known name – offers an opportunity to reflect upon the history of this important British department store group. Throughout its existence it opened (and closed) … Continue reading
Posted in Department Stores
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Stores of The Debenhams Group
In 1823 the drapers Clark & Debenham of Cavendish House, Wigmore Street, London, opened a branch in Cheltenham. This precocious move did not trigger the birth of Debenhams’ store group. Instead, in 1883, the Debenham family withdrew from the Cheltenham … Continue reading
Posted in Debenhams, Department Stores
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Stores of the John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership currently (2025) operates 36 stores in the UK, mainly in England. Many of these stores occupy sleek modern buildings in shopping centres or retail parks, in marginal positions with ample parking. A dwindling minority still occupy … Continue reading
The Bon Marché in Victorian Britain
The name Bon Marché (meaning cheapness or a good bargain) has featured on high streets throughout the British Isles for 150 years, but was especially fashionable in the last quarter of the 19th century. The modern clothing chain Bonmarché, founded … Continue reading
Posted in Department Stores, Fashion and Clothing
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A History of Arndale Centres
Arndale Shopping Centres were amongst the best-known post-war developments in Britain, symbolic of progress and economic rebirth. However, they were routinely scorned by architectural critics and developed a tawdry reputation. Most of Arndale’s artificially lit and air conditioned malls have … Continue reading
Posted in Arndale Centres, Shopping Centres, Woolworths
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Department Store Parking: A Brief History
‘Drive your car in London. Not so difficult as many women think’, urged Margaret Montague Johnstone in the pages of The Motor in March 1933. As well as being a keen shopper and motorist, Johnstone was the daughter of the … Continue reading
Posted in Department Stores, London Car Parks
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A Date for Findlater’s Corner
Findlater’s Corner – a prominent site on the western approach to London Bridge railway station – was restored to its original glory by The Arch Company, working with Benedict O’Looney Architects, in 2022. The result is impressive. Important aspects of … Continue reading
Posted in Wine & Spirit Dealers
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Introducing Self-Service Shopping in the British Isles
The co-operative movement is considered the pioneer of self-service shopping in the UK. It opened its first self-service section in Romford in 1942 and its first fully self-service store in Upton Park in 1948. My recently published article, ‘The great … Continue reading
The Centenary of Britain’s First Self-Service Grocery Shop
One hundred years ago the very first self-service grocery shop in the British Isles was opened in North London by the multiple provision dealer David Greig (1866-1952), a rival of J. Sainsbury’s. This pioneering retail experiment was ignored by contemporary … Continue reading
Building Our Past 