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Lewis's Department Store

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kandor
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Jennyann----------just a thought------- I may have met your mother.I bought my tickets to emigrate to Canada at Bloxhams Travel.I still have all their correspondence regarding the sale .This would be late 1963 and early 1964 .I came to Canada in April of that year. Small world eh.
 
Lewiss's was a landmark store and the building now is still so. When the latest building was finished it seemed to overpower the buildings around and impressed but did not fit in...quite. For many years this situation was so, I think, and then the large Rackhams store was built. Lewiss's has a strong appearance if somewhat stark. Today it fits in very well with it's surroundings IMO and amazingly seems to lend a gentling affect whilst anchoring the neighborhood. It looks like it will outlive those neighbors.
 
Goodness Rupert, this makes me wonder how old you are!! Lewis's was built in the 1800's and the Corporation Street end was Berlin House. It fitted in perfectly well with the Cobden Hotel and all the other buildings that were of similar age. I believe I am right in saying the Palladian-type facade was added in the 1930's, with the addition of a top floor or two and then joined to the old building, but I disagree that it overpowered the buildings that surrounded it. They were all large Victorian buildings, the dance hall, the rest of Old Square, and the Cobden were all proportinately sized but of an older style. I suppose it all comes down to perception.

I thought Rackhams stuck out like sore thumb for a very long time, with those ghastly blue panels, at least Lewis's was stylish in a classy way. Rackhams interior was lovely though, especially the ladies' toilets, I thought, complete with gilt chairs, green silk upholstery, and green silk-like wallcoverings.
 
HI DEK;
Hope you are well ;
Dek; i cannot say it was for that reason why they closed it down but in the next breath; it did play a small part in it
to my knowledge over the years there as only ever been three ; two done it and the third was an attemped where they stopped the person
this would have been around the 1957 -8 -9 period as i recall aqnd then it w3as down to staffing problems being short ;
if some-one had time at the libary and check in the archives for about that period i have mentione in thebirmingham mail you will find the story line about the closurer of it
best wishes Astonian
 
I was on the roof only two weeks ago in my capacity as an Electrical Engineer could hardly recognise the place completely covered in Air Handling Units.The one side is now called Temple Court the other Priory Court. Dek
 
A point I've always wondered about is whether the Minories (as per the road/arcade through Lewis's from Bull St to Priory Queensway) is exactly where the original Minories was. Or was the original Minories route in a different position? Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
A point I've always wondered about is whether the Minories (as per the road/arcade through Lewis's from Bull St to Priory Queensway) is exactly where the original Minories was. Or was the original Minories route in a different position? Viv.
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Viv I believe its always been in the same place it is now a walkway.Dek
 
Thanks Dek. I just had a very, very vague :confused2: idea from an old map I saw somewhere that the Minories was much longer. I thought it had been shortened or moved slightly when Lewis's was built or when Old Sq/Corporation St was re-developed. But maybe I imagined it! :headhit::headhit:Viv
 
There were Two minories , Viv.the 1750 map shows it as upper and lower minories,

minories_1750.jpg
 
Vivienne14 said:
Thanks Dek. I just had a very, very vague :confused2: idea from an old map I saw somewhere that the Minories was much longer. I thought it had been shortened or moved slightly when Lewis's was built or when Old Sq/Corporation St was re-developed. But maybe I imagined it! :headhit::headhit:Viv
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Sorry Viv It appears that your memory is very good I have just seen Mikes map. I never new that. Dek
 
Thanks Mike, lovely map. Looks like Lower Priory must have eventually become part of Corporation St.

Dek, pity my memory not as good at remembering names!:) viv.
 
Does anyone know what Minories means? Does it have any connection with the Priory?

Viv, Lower Priory is now part of Priory Queensway. Corporation Street was cut across Old Square and Lower Priory. Looking at the map I think the Old Square must have been enlarged over time.
 
Re: The Square
Lindyloo, yes the "Old Square" thread mentions the following:

quote_icon.png
Originally Posted by sheri
Thank you for that Aiden. What were the Minories - was it anything to do with the Priory
Sheri
Sheri - I believe the name is connected with the original Priory. Its name is derived from the Minoresses. A "minoress" was a nun. :angel: I think the Upper & Lower Minories were two paths to the Priory entrance.


David, that now makes sense thanks. Viv.
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Just found this in an old book I have, Thought it might be of interest to you.
 

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Fortunately the old Old Square was around long enough to be photographed and a good impression of it's size can be had, sans the square garden in the centre with it's iron railings around and trees. Texts relate the discovery of the demolished foundations of parts of the old Priory that were found under the old buildings in the photographs...when they were demolished. The Stork Hotel on the corner of Upper Priory I believe. I think that the photo's show a square, something about the size that I remember in the 50s and, when revised to that level, public conveniences were built under the place where the garden had been. The Priory I read was a hospital to all intents and purposes...presumably with nuns performing nursing duties and perhaps a building for such purposes was set aside on the path/lane now called the Minories...all records of these buildings seem to have been lost possibly in a fire but I thought that I saw something on here of the Priory building outline. The upper Minories though, set off from the square to the orchard and fish pool and rabbit warren at Congreve street which was the far extent of the Priory property. I wonder how they managed to get water...it being the highest place in the area. Did they transport it from the well that was to be the junction of High Street and Dale End. The orchards stretched down that far and a livestock market was just below the well. The Lower Minories is new to me...something else to conjecture.

Ah, the previous poster beat me to the button press. A nice find...well done.
 
FranklynSmith said:
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
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Hello Frank.

Just catching up on one of my sporadic visits to this forum. Did you spot that you were mentioned in one of my postings? I was one of the kids that you coached in the judo club - I can remember my mate Micky O'Neil being there as well but the person you'll probably remember best was another person who was in the same intake of trainees as me, Ann Adams, who won a few competitions if I remember correctly.

I remember you well - I think I was probably terrified of you! I was training manager when I left in 1978 and the GM was Arthur something or other.

Good to read your memories.
 
hi

im sorry but every time this post comes up im up on the roof in pets corner
or remembering those hours on the stairs waiting to see father Xmas.
in the end mom took us to the coop. 211790 i can still remember the no

happy days

mike jenks
 
There was a big entrance on the corner of Bull Street and Corporation Street, entranced within the minories and another at the back, opposite The Wesleyan. Also another smaller entrance in Bull Street - may have been more. Bull Street I seem to remember opened up into the food hall.
 
i remember lewis's i used to play on the roof they had little bike's and car tracks it was great before health and safety... does anyone else remember it and christmas was lovely there with the theme grotto's
 
The photo I have on my profile was taken at Lewis's on the 28th June 1964, I have only just realised that you answered my question Topsy about Lewis's closing as it was never posted to me, (I find this happens a lot), thank you, like a lot of other's I too with my sisters went to Lewis's at Christmas time and have happy memories of those long lost days.
paul
 
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