A trip down memory high street…

For those dedicated followers of fashion, the Sixties brought a wave of hip new boutiques. There was Chelsea Girl and Richard Shops to cater for our love of miniskirts and Etam for those who wanted to be ‘in’ with the latest style. Younger girls could visit Etam’s Tammy Girl department. For the more budgetconscious, C&A was the store of choice, boasting quality, cut-price clothes for those who found M&S a bit pricey. Everyone joked that C&A stood for Coats and ‘Ats but it was actually named after the store’s German founders, Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer. Although C&A’s UK stores closed in 2000, the brand still thrives in Europe. To complete the outfit, you needed a trip to Freeman, Hardy, Willis, for a new shoes. The chain had been around since the 1870s until it ceased trading in the mid-Nineties. For our cosmetic requirements, Timothy Whites was often the place to buy Pond’s night cream, Evening in Paris spritz and Sunsilk shampoo. Our appearance taken care of, it was time to turn our attention to the home. For electrical gadgets or a gas cooker, we’d call in at the local gas and electricity board who had showrooms on the high street where you could pay your utility bills, or buy a bag of shillings for the meter. At a time when few people owned a TV, a set could be rented from Rumbelows. For anything else home-related, your local department store or the trusty Co-op or BHS would probably have it. Some department stores even had ‘cash railways’, where a pneumatic tube would transport your pennies from the shop floor to the cashier before your change came back down the chute. If we needed to pick something up for dinner Dewhurst the butcher was a popular choice, while supermarket chain Fine Fare sold everything from prawn cocktail to cherry trifle. Do you have a favourite shop from yesteryear that you’d love to see back on the high street? Write to the Yours address on page three and tell us about it, or send an email to us at yours. bauermedia.co.uk

Fine Fare sold everything from prawn cocktail to sherry trifle