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Lewis's Department Store

Mike I don't mind you adding to anything I post your information is always so interesting thank you for the information on The Minories.
 
Thanks for explaining about The Minories Wendy. I didn't realise it was a former road running beneath this. Thus the new name for Lewis's. Does anyone have any more information on this road? I read Mkejee's account with interest.

Great pictures below.
 
Got some new books about Birmingham. They mention Lewis's Then and Now with photo comparisons. Got from WH Smith.
 
I have just received the latest Brummagem another gem from Carl. There is a brilliant article by Ray Timms on his late father in law Walter Cleaver who built the grotto in Lewis's. It's a fascinating insight into the work that was done. Best of all there are lots of photo's of the different scenes of the grotto. Although it was 1948 I still went straight back to about 8 years old looking at the pictures.......wonderful!
 
Thanks Wendy hope I can get a copy as I have not been to the shops since Monday. Speaking for Pete and myself this is the part of our childhood that sticks in our minds. Such fond memories. I used to be frightened to look down those spiral stairs and had many a nightmare thinking the stairs would fall down. A lovely thread started by a lovely gentleman. Jean.
 
I agree Wendy - memories flooded back with those photographs.

Climbing those stairs to the fifth floor was just like taking us to the seaside for my parents, every five minutes we would be saying "Are we ther yet"?

Christmas is not the same without Lewis's and Woolworths........................ Mabz
 
This is a water colour I did from a post card of the Minories. They were between the two blocks of Lewis's
under those majestic pillars
 
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That's a great drawing of the Minories, Di. Must have run across that Zebra crossing a hundred times going shopping at Lewis's. Thanks for posting.
 
Di you are so gifted being able to draw like that. So many talented members on the forum and thanks for sharing it with us. Jean.
 
di that drawing is lovely..:) would love to see anymore you have when time permits..

thanks for sharing it with us all...

lyn
 
Di, that is a beautiful sketch of the Minories. Brings back lots of memories of what we used to call the 'rubber road'
 
Lewis's had a heel bar in the Minories basement. This was run by Kevin Dallow, and when Lewis closed he moved to Staffordshire. He has continued his shoe repair trade in Chasetown High Street for a number of years now.
 
Hi Hawkmoon,
I have just found this site and was really entertained by the Lewis's thread. With regards to your father in law's meeting with Adam West, there is a great chance that it could have been me. In 1966-7, Lewis's store in Blackpool had the clever idea of building a 'Batmobile' for the 'Arrival of Father Christmas' parade. So, under licence from ABC Television, who provided the photographs and design drawings, a second hand Chevrolet Bellair was acquired and rebuilt as a 'Batmobile' replica. The contract was offered to Duple Coachworks to start with, but they were too expensive so a 'one man' body builder in South Shore did the job. The idea was that the Blackpool store's Christmas Grotto would be a Batcave and the display manager, Ray Sewell set about building it.
Unfortunately, as the project reached completion, Lewis's Board of Directors decided it was too good for a store as small as Blackpool and much to the General Manager's chagrin, they hi-jacked it for the Manchester Parade. The rest is history! As test driver in the building of the machine, I delivered it to Manchester where the 'Batman' they had employed crashed it into the back of its escorting police car. I was asked to return to Manchester and drive the car in the parade from Manchester Airport where Father Christmas was to disembark from a plane and be met and escorted to town by Batman in the Batmobile and a bunch of Thunderbird floats. The Blackpool Tower Theatre Wardrobe Company made the Batman and Robin Uniforms with there being over 10 yards of silk/satin in the cape alone. I carried the 'Robin' Costumes with me in the car and the Manchester publicity department provided an actor to sit beside me in the car. There were around 250,000 people en-route to see the Batmobile and it took nearly 3 hours to get into Manchester instead of the 40 minutes scheduled. In Piccadilly and Market Street over 40,000 people brought the City to a standstill with everyone believing they were seeing the real Batman and Batmobile. Plans were in hand to repeat the parades for Birmingham and Glasgow stores but the Police in both cities declined after seeing what happened in Manchester. So arrangments were made for the car to tour these cities going to various schools and venues to preach road safety and the 'Batman can't fly' message. I drove the car to both cities with a police and AA escort which caused quite a lot of consternation on the M6. At both Birmingham and Glasgow stores the Publicity departments looked after me and my accomodation and the car was kept at the Transport depots of both stores. This is probably where your Father in Law met me. To my knowledge, Adam West never visited Lewis's though several of the ABC Television exectutives did. It became the most successful publicity stunt Lewis's ever took part in with an estimated £2 million of publicity and as 'Batman' I appeared with the 'Bachelors' who were the top pop group of the time and drove the car on stage at 'Sunday night at the London Palladium.' Manchester City Police still use the arrival of Batman as a traffic management training exercise along with Manchester United's first winning of the European Cup. My real identity was never revealed, I was just 'Batman' until some one from the Daily Mirror tailed me home to my house is Bispham, Blackpool and talked to my neighbours. Next day it was front page news and we had a street full of tourists who thought I kept the car at home. Hope this helps. Frank Smith
 
FranklynSmith said:
Hi Hawkmoon,
I have just found this site and was really entertained by the Lewis's thread. With regards to your father in law's meeting with Adam West, there is a great chance that it could have been me. In 1966-7, Lewis's store in Blackpool had the clever idea of building a 'Batmobile' for the 'Arrival of Father Christmas' parade. So, under licence from ABC Television, who provided the photographs and design drawings, a second hand Chevrolet Bellair was acquired and rebuilt as a 'Batmobile' replica. The contract was offered to Duple Coachworks to start with, but they were too expensive so a 'one man' body builder in South Shore did the job. The idea was that the Blackpool store's Christmas Grotto would be a Batcave and the display manager, Ray Sewell set about building it.
Unfortunately, as the project reached completion, Lewis's Board of Directors decided it was too good for a store as small as Blackpool and much to the General Manager's chagrin, they hi-jacked it for the Manchester Parade. The rest is history! As test driver in the building of the machine, I delivered it to Manchester where the 'Batman' they had employed crashed it into the back of its escorting police car. I was asked to return to Manchester and drive the car in the parade from Manchester Airport where Father Christmas was to disembark from a plane and be met and escorted to town by Batman in the Batmobile and a bunch of Thunderbird floats. The Blackpool Tower Theatre Wardrobe Company made the Batman and Robin Uniforms with there being over 10 yards of silk/satin in the cape alone. I carried the 'Robin' Costumes with me in the car and the Manchester publicity department provided an actor to sit beside me in the car. There were around 250,000 people en-route to see the Batmobile and it took nearly 3 hours to get into Manchester instead of the 40 minutes scheduled. In Piccadilly and Market Street over 40,000 people brought the City to a standstill with everyone believing they were seeing the real Batman and Batmobile. Plans were in hand to repeat the parades for Birmingham and Glasgow stores but the Police in both cities declined after seeing what happened in Manchester. So arrangments were made for the car to tour these cities going to various schools and venues to preach road safety and the 'Batman can't fly' message. I drove the car to both cities with a police and AA escort which caused quite a lot of consternation on the M6. At both Birmingham and Glasgow stores the Publicity departments looked after me and my accomodation and the car was kept at the Transport depots of both stores. This is probably where your Father in Law met me. To my knowledge, Adam West never visited Lewis's though several of the ABC Television exectutives did. It became the most successful publicity stunt Lewis's ever took part in with an estimated £2 million of publicity and as 'Batman' I appeared with the 'Bachelors' who were the top pop group of the time and drove the car on stage at 'Sunday night at the London Palladium.' Manchester City Police still use the arrival of Batman as a traffic management training exercise along with Manchester United's first winning of the European Cup. My real identity was never revealed, I was just 'Batman' until some one from the Daily Mirror tailed me home to my house is Bispham, Blackpool and talked to my neighbours. Next day it was front page news and we had a street full of tourists who thought I kept the car at home. Hope this helps. Frank Smith
Click to expand...

...and having fought my way through the mis-spelling and wonky archiving smokescreen (allegedly) at the Daily Mirror that the Batmobile would be proud of, here is the said horseless carriage approaching Lewis's in Manchester November 9, 1966.View attachment 63391
 
Thanks Richie that's brilliant. I think the picture was taken at Ringway (Now Manchester) Airport because I never saw Santa after greeting him. He arrived at Lewis's store about an hour after me as his float (and Lady Penelopes) couldn't get through the crowd. I have some more photos somewhere if anyone is interested. Thanks for your contribution.
Frank Smith
 
Hi Everyone,
As a 'Newbie' I have been reading through all your posts about Lewis's with fascination. I worked for Lewis's in various stores for nearly thirteen years finishing in Birmingham in 1968 as Depot manager at Tyburn and then variously as House Manager of the Bull Street Store, Assistant Staff manager and Liason Manager to the then General Manager, Vince Hanson. I left in 1972 to become self employed but about a year later was persuaded to temporarily return by Mr. Hanson to find and set up a new Transport and Warehouse depot as the Tyburn depot in Pype Hayes had burnt down. This I did.... and sometime later, they managed to burn that one down as well. Some of the questions you were looking for answers for were about the tunnels from the store. There were two of these running under Corporation Street. The orignal one ran almost from under the central Corporation Street doors straight across the road, (slightly uphill) to what used to be a smaller store almost opposite. I forget it's original name but access to it was near the 'Cabin' pub. This tunnel was sealed off at the end and was of domed metal construction with access into Lewis's sub basement. It was used as a store room by the Fancy Goods department. The second tunned did indeed run from the parcel office to Dale End exiting alongside the ballroom. This was quite long and downhill and was used to move goods from the Store to the depot for delivery to customers. The articulated trailers and cob were specially built to fit the dimensions of this tunnel by the body repair shop at Urmston depot Manchester and it's driver was generally 'Lofty' Nicholls. Most of Lewis's stores, certainly Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, were of similar design, construction and layout including the staircases. Originally they had brass handrails and an open staircase well which in later years were infilled to prevent accidents and the handrails were first studded to prevent 'banister sliding' and then replaced by steel and rubber. It was said that the scrap value of the brass exceeded the replacement cost of the new steel and rubber ones.
Hope this helps.
Frank Smtih
 
On trips to town when a little girl in the 50's when asked by my mother what I wanted to do ..........'Go up and down on the escalators in Lewis's'
ooooo I can see them now. I have probably posted this before but heh ho it was great fun!!!

Linda
 
FranklynSmith said:
Hi Everyone,
As a 'Newbie' I have been reading through all your posts about Lewis's with fascination.
Frank Smtih
Click to expand...
Hello Frank,
It's so nice to read such detailed 'inside' information about the store which I visited from childhood until it closed. It now seems like a 'golden age' of shopping and I suppose we will not see anything like it again.

Have I still got anything I bought from there ? Yes I have....a colourful jacket I bought in the early 70's, still used when I clean the car and DIY on cold days. I'm now amazed to think I actually wore it to go shopping in the 70's, but it probably looked ok with my flared trousers. The tenon saw made from Sheffield steel is still usable although it has been sharpened a few times.
Happy Memories
oldmohawk...:)
Bought from Lewis's.jpg
 
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Hi OldMohawk,
Good to hear Lewis's goods are still going strong. I suspect that there are many more people still using Lewis's branded goods than anyone realizes. The original brand name was 'Standex' and almost everyone received a set of fine 'Standex' sheets or towels when they got married or a really good gift was a 'Standex' Sheffield made Cutlery cabinet. I think a lot of the tools were also Sheffield made 'Standex' branded and, like your saw, lasted forever. The Company rebranded late 60's early 70's mainly to create a fashion brand that by then was big business. It was 'Ranella' based on Ranelagh Street in Liverpool where the first Lewis's was built. It never achieved the same status of the 'Standex' Brand and in retrospect was an unnecessary, expensive exercise. At the time of re-branding the 'Miss Selfridge' young fashion brand was created with Boutiques in each store. This was a much more successful brand, as were the boutiques, with the youngster. On Saturdays Birmingham 'Miss Selfridge' was packed to capacity and sales were enormous.
Frank Smith
 
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