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Author Archives: buildingourpast
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 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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The Story of “Easiephit”
“Easiephit” shoe shops closed decades ago, but traces of the house style can still be spotted. The inverted commas were an integral part of the name displayed on shops between the wars. The “Easiephit” brand of footwear was manufactured and … Continue reading
Posted in Shoe Shops
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A Spotter’s Guide to Traditional Chemists’ Shops
The Mortar and Pestle The mortar and pestle has been used by apothecaries, chemists and druggists for centuries to grind medicinal powders. It remains one of the chemist’s favourite symbols, depicted on shop signs to proclaim the nature of the … Continue reading
Posted in Chemists' Shops, Spotter's Guides
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A Spotter’s Guide to the High Street: Jewellers’ Clocks & Time Balls
Just as pawnbrokers signal their presence with three suspended balls, and barbers have their red and white striped poles, so jewellers, clockmakers and watchmakers have traditionally attracted attention with elaborate projecting clocks, turret clocks or time balls. Examples can be … Continue reading
Posted in Jewellers Shops, Spotter's Guides
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Star Supply Stores
Stumbling across the wonderful Star Supply Stores on Lowestoft’s historical High Street – now Raphael Crafts – prompted a bit of research into this retail business. Star was one of many chains of grocers and provision dealers that thrived in English towns during the late … Continue reading
The Story of H. Samuel: ‘Britain’s Largest Jeweller’
The multiple jeweller H. Samuel has been around for at least 140 years, and has always made extravagant claims, from ‘The Empire’s Largest Jeweller’ to ‘Britain’s Largest Jeweller’. This last boast possibly remains true today. Like most jewellers, H. Samuel … Continue reading
Posted in Jewellers Shops
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A Spotter’s Guide to Marks & Spencer
Conservative Neo-Classicism Marks & Spencer did not build shops until 1910, coinciding with Woolworth’s arrival on English soil (if, indeed, this was a coincidence – Woolworth was a direct rival!). The new and more familiar generation of M&S ‘super stores’ … Continue reading
Posted in Spotter's Guides
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Boots’ Architects. 2. Michael Vyne Treleaven
Michael Vyne Treleaven (1850-1934) held the position of Boots the Chemist’s in-house architect for over a decade in the early 20th century, and was responsible for designing the company’s well-known mock-Tudor shops. Treleaven came from the parish of Poughill, near Bude in Cornwall. In … Continue reading
Posted in Boots the Chemist, Chemists' Shops
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Boots’ Architects. 1. Albert Nelson Bromley
The prominent Nottingham architect Albert Nelson Bromley (1850-1934) designed many shops for Boots between the 1890s and the 1920s. At first he worked in a neo-Jacobean style, with a strong penchant for terracotta, but in the 1920s he switched to … Continue reading
Posted in Boots the Chemist, Chemists' Shops
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Building Our Past 