Pearsons of Nottingham

Last updated

Pearson Brothers was a department store located in Nottingham, England, which closed in 1988.

Contents

History

Pearson Brothers started out in 1899 when Frederick Pearson bought a former ironmongery store called Wigglesworth based at 56 Long Row, which was rented. [1] Frederick changed the name of the business to Pearsons and employed his two sons, Charles William and Tom, a porter and a small boy. The business not only had a shop but an office and a cellar with a water pump. [2]

By 1894, electricity was being introduced to Nottingham, and Pearsons employed an electrical engineer to do contract work for customers. [3] The store supplemented the electrical contract work by selling electrical goods within the store, becoming an official dealer for many products, including The Hoover Company in 1925. The business was growing quickly and the first of many extensions was built in 1898 at the rear of the store to accommodate a showroom for the new firegrates that the company had designed. [3]

Over the next three decades, the business expanded the store in both size and the goods that it sold. [3] However, the business slumped during the 1920s while the Council House was being built, as did many companies in the vicinity. But, in the 1930s, the business grew again by expanding the store and purchasing a secondhand motor vehicle for deliveries. [3] The gramophone listening room was converted into a café during this decade, and the lease was extended with the property owner, Mr Joseph Darby, in 1934. During the 1930s, Laurie Pearson, son of Tom (one of the Pearson Brothers), invented and patented the first safe and practical electric blanket, while a special lift was added to cope with the different levels of floors. [2]

After the war, the business celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1949, and by the end of the 1950s had become an authorised dealer for His Master Voice products from EMI, Coke and Gas burning appliances from East Midlands Gas Board, Redfyre Oil Heaters from Newton, Chambers and Co Ltd, and the sale of Silver from Mappin & Webb, among others. The company was also providing street lighting to the city and fire fighting equipment.

In 1966, the next major development to the store opened, with the new entrance on Upper Parliament Street in a Scandinavian style to try and modernize the firm's appearance. [3] [4] By 1986, the store had a coffee shop and a Planters restaurant, and opened a new £100,000 fashion floor. [2]

Closure

The freeholders for the property where the store was built wanted to redevelop the location as an arcade and gave notice in 1987 to the grandson of the founder Robert Pearson. A fight was put up but unfortunately, by October of that year, the business accepted the offer for the lease. In January 1988, the store closed its doors for the last time, with the loss of 115 jobs. [2]

After the development failed to materialize, it was dropped during 1990 by the owners Grosvenor Properties of London after their plans to demolish the Georgian façade was objected to. In 1993, planning permission was given to turn the site into a multi-storey car park and government offices. By 1996, no work had taken place and a fire destroyed the interiors of the building. The Upper Parliament building was eventually demolished to make way for the multi-storey development, while the Long Row buildings have since been converted into new retail space. [2]

Related Research Articles

Beeston, Nottinghamshire Town in Nottinghamshire, England

Beeston is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) south-west of Nottingham city centre. To the immediate north-east is the University of Nottingham's main campus, University Park. The pharmaceutical and retail chemist group Boots has its headquarters 0.6 miles (1 km) east of the centre of Beeston, on the border with Broxtowe and the City of Nottingham. To the south lies the River Trent and the village of Attenborough, with its extensive wetlands.

Marshall Field's was a department store in Chicago, Illinois, founded in the 19th century that grew to become a large chain before being acquired by Macy's, Inc in 2005.

Currys Electrical retailer in the UK and Republic of Ireland

Currys is a British electrical retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by Dixons Carphone. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances.

Damansara Jaya Township in Selangor, Malaysia

Damansara Jaya is a township consisting of Sections SS22 and SS22A of the city of Petaling Jaya in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is situated within the Sungai Buloh mukim (subdivision) of the Petaling district. It covers an estimated area of 1.21 km2 and has an estimated population of 11,678 residents.

Downing Centre

The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library known as the Downing Centre Library. The Downing Centre forms part of the Department of Justice and houses court services and sheriffs offices.

Broadmarsh Shopping centre in Nottingham

Broadmarsh is a closed, partially demolished shopping centre located slightly south of the centre of Nottingham, England, on land owned by Nottingham City Council and formerly leased to Intu Properties.

Sheffield Retail Quarter is a retail development under construction in Sheffield city centre, England between the Devonshire Quarter and The Moor Gateway. The project was previously given the marketing name Sevenstone, prior to Hammerson, the developer, being dropped from the project in July 2013 with Sheffield City Council seeking new developers.

Barton Transport

Barton Transport was a bus company that operated in Nottinghamshire from 1908 until 1989.

Market Place Shopping Center is an enclosed shopping mall located in Champaign, Illinois, US. The mall's anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Field & Stream, JCPenney, Macy's, and Costco Wholesale. It is the second largest enclosed shopping mall in Central Illinois.

100 St Georges Terrace

100 St Georges Terrace is a 24-storey skyscraper located at 100 St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia.

High Pavement

High Pavement is a street in Nottingham, England. It is one of the earliest streets in the city, and most of its buildings are listed.

Allan and Stark Building

The Allan and Stark Building is a heritage-listed row of contiguous but not identical retail buildings located at 110 Queen Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The architect was Andrea Stombuco. It was also known as Myer Store. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Nottingham Exchange

Nottingham Exchange was built in the Market Place in Nottingham between 1724 and 1726 as the main offices of the Nottingham Corporation.

McDonnell & East Ltd Building

McDonnell & East Ltd Building is a heritage-listed former department store at 414 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Thomas Ramsay Hall and built from 1912 to 1928 by Andrew Gillespie. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 10 December 1997.

Princes Gate Towers

The Princes Gate Towers were a set of twin office tower blocks that were located at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets in the Melbourne central business district, Australia. They were designed by architects Leslie M. Perrott and Partners and constructed in 1967. They were partly occupied by the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria, leading to the buildings also being known as 'the Gas & Fuel'. They were demolished in 1997 to make way for Federation Square, the mixed-use development and public space that now occupies the site.

Bartlams Store

Bartlam's Store is a heritage-listed former pair of shops and now museum at Mosman Street, Charters Towers City, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from c. 1891 to 1940s. It is also known as Burns Philp & Company Limited and Wright Heaton & Company. It was acquired by the National Trust in 1978, and the Zara Clark Museum was subsequently established in the building. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Frederick Ash Building

Frederick Ash Building is a heritage-listed warehouse and retail premises at 359-361 Hunter Street, Newcastle, City of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Frederick B. Menkens and built from 1904 to 1905. The property is owned by Newcastle City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Campbells Stores

The Campbell's Stores is a heritage-listed former warehouse building in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The Victorian Georgian building previously served as store houses and maritime bonded warehouses. It was built from 1850 to 1861. It faces Campbells Cove, an inlet in the north-west of Sydney Cove. In the 1970s, along with the general decline of commercial shipping activities in Sydney Cove, the building was converted for use as tourist-orientated restaurants and bars.

Cleland Bond Store

Cleland Bond Store is a heritage-listed former warehouse and bond store and now department store and shops located at 33 Playfair Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1913 to 1914. It is also known as Cleland Bond Store and Cleland Store. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

Union Bond Store

The Union Bond Store is a heritage-listed former warehouse, bond store and Westpac bank branch and museum located at 47 George Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Bibb and built from 1841 to 1842. It is also known as Union Bond Store (former) and Westpac Bank. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

References

  1. ↑ "Pearson Brothers - British Genealogy" . Retrieved 26 January 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bygones: Remembering the iconic Pearsons Brothers store in Nottingham". Nottingham Post. December 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 26 January 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Amos, Denise. "Retailing: Pearson Bros. Ltd". The Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway. Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire . Retrieved 2 March 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ↑ "NTGM002690 - Picture the Past" . Retrieved 26 January 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.