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Hollingsworth Tobacconist Withers Tobacconist

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
I should remember this shop in Temple Row having walked along there every day around the time for several years, but just can’t place it. Was it opposite Rackham’s rear entrance near the GW Arcade ? Still going in the 1990s, the advert in the next post claims it was in business since 1828. has a long history. Must be very few tobacconists still around today. Viv.

C28AB749-67F3-4E1D-B03A-ED38B0F5FE98.jpeg1A96EC25-2E29-42C9-B9A2-B4F5662AA05B.jpeg
 

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Hollingsworth - cigar importers since 1828. In the 1950s was joined with Withers. Mr Jack Withers was Managing Director of Hollingsworth - mentioned in the 1978 article in the previous post. Viv.

C259405C-2658-4077-914E-E26D86714373.jpeg3DDE8882-F0BD-4353-8981-D7681D200D43.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Mr Tierney who’d worked for/with Mr Hollingsworth until c1870 set up in business in High Street just after Mr Hollingsworth moved his business to New Street. Cigar wars ! I expect cigar and cigarette trading was very competitive - a time when a large proportion of the adult population smoked. Viv.

D5F7E8FC-8C3C-4CB1-8F8B-E3BF457E1591.jpeg5D60EDEE-7A20-4CD5-A687-BD9D62297329.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Thanks. I worked for TSA in Windsor House in the 1970s so that must be why it’s vaguely familiar. Probably even went in there to buy cigarettes. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Thanks. I worked for TSA in Windsor House in the 1970s so that must be why it’s vaguely familiar. Probably even went in there to buy cigarettes. Viv.
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Yes, I remember you saying, I worked in Windsor House too, for the Inland Revenue!
I bought cigarettes in there sometimes, I can still vaguely remember the face of one of the men who worked in there.
 
This is Withers and Reynolds although I doubt they served on the shop floor ! This is from the same article in post #1.

I’ve since been wondering if Withers is the same Withers who had kiosks at railway stations etc. I think there was one at the old Snow Hill Station. Viv.

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Source: British History Online
 
Hi,

I worked in the city centre during the early 60's and once a month
I visited Hollingsworth's and treated myself to a packet of Lucky Strike.
Happy memories!

Kind regards
Dave
 
Yes I bought my dads first pipe from the same shop in the 70s and I remember it looked very oldie worldie inside. .I also bought my cocktail cigarettes which had lovely pastel colours and we only smoked them when we went out because we felt so posh but they were very expensive I think I paid 5 pound for a pack of 20 which it dont sound dear now but back then it was very dear.
 
Hollingsworth in Temple Row were at no 5. This is not specifically marked on the 1950s map, but is approx where the red dot is on the map below
 

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Old snuff jars. CB7593DB-26F9-4180-A420-71648A3CD4A2.jpeg

There seems to be no mention of a Hollingsworth successor to the tobacco business after John Hollingsworth passed away in 1942. I’m wondering if Withers just kept the Hollingsworth business name.

Viv.
D556E7F6-23F8-490F-A9BD-9FA4F96DBF21.jpegSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
I occasionally frequented John Hollingsworth from the mid ‘80s onwards, it had a fantastic array of cigars and cigarettes etc but the most memorable things were the pipes (beautifully carved meerschaum and wood) and the heavenly smell of the tobaccos.
 
I was a regular smoker and they sold a Turkish cigarette called a Mahawat which was unlike anything I had smoked before, the scent of that tobacco still haunts me 25 years after quitting.
 
I worked in every one of those shops mentioned above during the 1960/70's when i worked for shopfitters, we used to have to paint the entire little shop inside and out including the window while it was still open. usually there were two ladies and with us two painters there was not much room to move around :D The cigarette shelves had to have the wall behind painted green so we emptied one shelf, painted the wall, and carefully put the packets from the next shelf into the space, bit by bit all the shelves got a bit mixed up so the ladies had us looking for a packet a customer wanted.

All in all it was enjoyable working in those shops. Mr Withers used to come in some of the shops along with his uniformed Chauffer for the Rolls Royce parked right outside. I remember he was much older than the photo up above. We had to have the window emptied as we had and paint it's little ceiling and pegboards, but a window dresser bloke came to empty and put it back and spent 2 whole days farting around and got in our way,
eventually they were bought out by Finlays.
 
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