It's just occurred to me that I used to buy clothes at Lewis's at their in store boutique Miss Selfridge. This would have been in the 1970s/80s. It was a favourite place to shop. The Selfridge connection must have given the boutique its name. Viv.
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It's just occurred to me that I used to buy clothes at Lewis's at their in store boutique Miss Selfridge. This would have been in the 1970s/80s. It was a favourite place to shop. The Selfridge connection must have given the boutique its name. Viv.
Eric Gibson
master brummie
Lewis had a large store in Bristol opened in the fifties which doesn't appear in the photos above, it was taken over by Bentalls in the nineties I think .
Here under construction in 1955.
Here under construction in 1955.
They certainly liked their corner plots for their stores.
An extract from a newspaper article pondering the qualities of the new Birmingham Miss Selfridge. Viv.
An extract from a newspaper article pondering the qualities of the new Birmingham Miss Selfridge. Viv.
DavidGrain
master brummie
Singlets were sleeveless, vests had short sleeves. I always bought singlets
Never knew that David. Thanks. Viv.
Eric Gibson
master brummie
No mick it was Lewis's the same as the Brum one (I was a regular visitor there) until they bit the dust, the John Lewis Partnership in Bristol came later with the Cribbs Causeway Mall out of town development.
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
Eric
In John Lewis Bristol today and talking to one of the older members of staff, he confirmed he had worked at Broadmead and the store had been the John Lewis group.
Bob
DavidGrain
master brummie
I can see the confusion as John Lewis bought the Lewis's Bristol store. This information from Wikipedia
- Bristol (1958–1981) — bought by John Lewis, since occupied by Bentalls, House of Fraser, now Primark
Eric Gibson
master brummie
I think what happened was that the original Lewis's Group got into financial woes and there was a management and staff buy out, it was then re-launched as the John Lewis Partnership.
They then could not make the Bristol branch work profitably and when the out of town Cribbs Causeway shopping Mall was developed they joined with Marks & Spencer as the two anchor businesses around which all the smaller businesses were gathered and sold off the inner city unit to Bentalls. (I've shopped in them all many times over the years.)
They then could not make the Bristol branch work profitably and when the out of town Cribbs Causeway shopping Mall was developed they joined with Marks & Spencer as the two anchor businesses around which all the smaller businesses were gathered and sold off the inner city unit to Bentalls. (I've shopped in them all many times over the years.)
devonjim
master brummie
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/lewiss-name-revived-birmingham-building-11408552
Lewis's name back in Bull St.
Lewis's name back in Bull St.
Eric
That is not the version that is generally accepted https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about/our-heritage/our-history/our-history-text-version.html), which is that the owners over the years transferred all the assets for the benefit of qualified employees.
That is not the version that is generally accepted https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about/our-heritage/our-history/our-history-text-version.html), which is that the owners over the years transferred all the assets for the benefit of qualified employees.
Eric Gibson
master brummie
The Bristol store rarely gets a mention in most of the 'histories' Mike and there are many differing histories about depending on the source.
DavidGrain
master brummie
There is no connection between John Lewis and Lewis's
John Lewis opened his store in Oxford Street London in 1864
David Lewis opened the first Lewis's store in Liverpool in 1856
It is a pure coincidence that the Bristol city centre store was owned at different times by Lewis's and John Lewis.
John Lewis opened his store in Oxford Street London in 1864
David Lewis opened the first Lewis's store in Liverpool in 1856
It is a pure coincidence that the Bristol city centre store was owned at different times by Lewis's and John Lewis.
The building of Lewis’s 1931-33.
You can see the new building rising up behind the old.
Viv.
You can see the new building rising up behind the old.
Viv.
A few more
Yes I wondered about that too Mike. Looks like the end of the chapel was affected by the new building. Presumably it was repaired. Or was it rebuilt ? It doesn’t look like the one that’s there today. Seem to remember a discussion about this somewhere else and I vaguely remember it being rebuilt, although can’t recall date. Viv.
It was rebuilt about the same time. I seem to remember that the dat egiven for rebuild wa s1933, but cannot swear to that. However Have just found a photo of the meeting house , and it is completely different. However there was a sunday school nearby, so maybe it was that building in the photo.
The building behind the Meeting House in the RIBA pix looks like the building in the Lewis’s photo. I now remember the graves associated with the Meeting House were removed too. Must look up the Meeting house thread, it might have more info. Viv.
Williamstreeter
master brummie
I would just like to go on record to say I had my photo took with Santa at Lewis's 1953 . I did look sweet my little overcoat and a full shoulder balaclava , what a dude
The old Lewis’s building to the right in 1912. This must be the earlier building (before the 1930s re-build shown in earlier posts). I’ve seen this image several times but hadn’t fully appreciated this was the earlier shop. It was re-built in a slightly different position, but still with some of the replacement building on Corporation Street. Viv.
Maria Magenta
master brummie
How empty the street is, Viv!
DavidGrain
master brummie
Viv, I can't quite place the position of the shop as I would have expected Bull Street to be showing obviously next to the store.
As far as I can make out David, the replacement building was built behind this one, still with a footprint onto Corporation Street. So the new building must have been further down Corporation Street (if looking towards New Street) as the new building was erected before the old building was demolished. Think maybe we need a map on this one. Viv.
