1970s High Street Stores disappeared
01/05/16 22:56
The BBC news pages ran an article on 10 1970s High Street Stores which had vanished from the High Street in the intervening time. This led me to take a look, and see which were active locally. I have taken Rawtenstall as being 'local', particularly as cars were fewer and roads bad and a trip to Burnley, Blackburn or Accrington to shop was quite an undertaking.
So which ones did the BBC comment on:
Woolworths. Yep, we had this, on the corner of Bank St and Grange Street until the store went into liquidation. The pick and mix was superb, it was the main source of school uniform, stationary and cheap jewellery. Boots (still there) was in competition for makeup and there was a independent record shop at that time although 'everybody knew' that records bought there didn't contribute to the chart totals…
Dixons. Nope, not locally
C&A, Not locally, but I remember the 'Woman at C&A' adverts well.
Athena, Not locally, but everyone had that poster, at least all the boys.
Radio Rentals. This was present on the right side of Bank Street going down towards the market and is still an entertainment goods shop, amazingly. There was a second TV shop in Longholme, no longer trading.
Freeman, Hardy and Willis, again on the right of Bank Street slightly up from Radio Rentals. The main source of school shoes, Timpsons being the other. For a town with a huge footwear industry it is very difficult to get shoes in Rawtenstall now.
Comet. Nope. There was a gas and an electricity showrooms however.
Dewhurst. Don't remember this, there were a number of independent butchers, some still trading and a new one opened on Bank St in the last couple of years which does mean sausages.
Fine Fare. No, no supermarket until ASDA in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Midland Bank. Don't remember one in Rawtenstall but there was one on Bacup Road in Waterfoot, next to the Royal Hotel. This later became the constituency offices of Janet Anderson MP in the 1990s/2000.
There isn't an Austin Reed but was a Greenwoods for many years, closing I think in the 1990s. There never was a BHS.
So which ones did the BBC comment on:
Woolworths. Yep, we had this, on the corner of Bank St and Grange Street until the store went into liquidation. The pick and mix was superb, it was the main source of school uniform, stationary and cheap jewellery. Boots (still there) was in competition for makeup and there was a independent record shop at that time although 'everybody knew' that records bought there didn't contribute to the chart totals…
Dixons. Nope, not locally
C&A, Not locally, but I remember the 'Woman at C&A' adverts well.
Athena, Not locally, but everyone had that poster, at least all the boys.
Radio Rentals. This was present on the right side of Bank Street going down towards the market and is still an entertainment goods shop, amazingly. There was a second TV shop in Longholme, no longer trading.
Freeman, Hardy and Willis, again on the right of Bank Street slightly up from Radio Rentals. The main source of school shoes, Timpsons being the other. For a town with a huge footwear industry it is very difficult to get shoes in Rawtenstall now.
Comet. Nope. There was a gas and an electricity showrooms however.
Dewhurst. Don't remember this, there were a number of independent butchers, some still trading and a new one opened on Bank St in the last couple of years which does mean sausages.
Fine Fare. No, no supermarket until ASDA in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Midland Bank. Don't remember one in Rawtenstall but there was one on Bacup Road in Waterfoot, next to the Royal Hotel. This later became the constituency offices of Janet Anderson MP in the 1990s/2000.
There isn't an Austin Reed but was a Greenwoods for many years, closing I think in the 1990s. There never was a BHS.