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Author Archives: buildingourpast
Spotting Historic Shopfronts: Great Yarmouth
Baird’s / Dunn’s, 10a-11 Regent Street The Irishman James Baird (1839-1917) set up as a boot and shoe dealer in Great Yarmouth in 1862. He specialised in footwear with waterproof soles made of ‘gutta percha’ (gum harvested from tropical trees), … Continue reading
Posted in Jewellers Shops, Shoe Shops, Spotter's Guides, Streetscape
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Spotting Historic Shopfronts: Baldock
A plum spot on the Great North Road meant that the small market town of Baldock in Hertfordshire became an ideal staging post for people journeying north from London. From the 17th century onwards it was chock-a-block with coaching inns, … Continue reading
Spotting Historic Shopfronts: Cambridge
21 Market Street Cambridge is rich in historic shopfronts. Here are a few interesting examples to look out for on shopping trips in town! Two Art Nouveau Shopfronts from the 1920s Surprisingly, the elegant art nouveau shopfront at 21 Market … Continue reading
Posted in Chemists' Shops, Spotter's Guides, Streetscape
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Woolworth’s Architects
F. W. Woolworth landed on British soil with a group of hand-picked American managers in 1909 and promptly set about establishing a new chain of 3d. and 6d. stores. Suitable buildings were identified, converted and, if required, extended with the … Continue reading
Posted in Woolworths
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Woolworth’s British Shopfronts
F. W. Woolworth & Co Ltd occupied a prominent spot on British High Streets for nearly a century, from 1909 until 2009. Beneath the red and gold signboard of the famous 3d and 6d stores, the form of the shopfront … Continue reading
Posted in Woolworths
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Cooper’s Motor Mart (Cooper’s Studios)
Cooper’s Auction Yard (later Cooper’s Motor Mart) on Westgate Road in Newcastle-upon-Tyne was built for James Cooper (1849-1925). Cooper, the son of a harbour master from South Shields, set himself up as a horse dealer in the yard of the Crown … Continue reading
Macy’s Garage, Balderton Street, London
This historic garage can be found just off London’s bustling Oxford Street, opposite the main entrance to Selfridge’s department store. Built as Macy’s Garage in 1925-26, it was one of London’s most imposing car parks. Macy’s Garage was designed by … Continue reading
Posted in London Car Parks
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The Electromobile Garage in Mayfair
The Electromobile Garage lies hidden behind the grand façades of Mayfair, in the guise of NCP Carrington Street. The building may have little architectural presence on the street front, but it played a fascinating role in the early motoring history of … Continue reading
Posted in London Car Parks
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The Niagara Garage, Westminster
One of the most unusual garages in early 20th-century London was the Niagara Garage on York Street (now Petty France) in Westminster. This had been built as a panorama, and later used as an ice-skating rink. The building, described rather … Continue reading
Posted in London Car Parks
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The Story of Dunn’s the Hatter
Introduction Dunn & Co. was the most recognisable chain of men’s hatters throughout the first three-quarters of the 20th century. By the late 1920s it was also a men’s outfitters. A failure to keep up with changing fashions – which … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion and Clothing
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