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Through searches on the internet and cross-referencing in Kelly's Directories I've discovered the names of some of the businesses that were renamed Plummer Roddis, as follows:
Andover - W Percival Clark
Bath - F Ealand
Weymouth - Robert R Talbot
Boscombe - R Tyrrell & Sons (a branch store of the larger Bournemouth business)
Eastbourne - Sharmans (probably a branch store of the larger Brighton business. There was also a Sharmans in Streatham, with similar class of trade and purpose built art deco building though I haven't so far established a connection to Brighton and Eastbourne. The Eastbourne store became a large branch of C & H Fabrics after closure)
AndrewSE19 (
talk)
21:43, 13 April 2023 (UTC)reply
add them in and quote the Kelly's directories that show the old name and plummers at that address. I know it's original work, but this is a historical company that is a nightmare to find stuff about. I added RR Talbot in yesterday from a ref that confirms the purchase and change of name when I was working on the Drapery Trust, who incidently owned the business. Not sure when they purchased it, but it was in between 1925 and 1928 (date of Talbot purchase). As per ref I added to Debenhams page, by 1956 Plummers had 13 branches (the ref does not say where!). Got 4 more stores to find!
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
11:38, 14 April 2023 (UTC)reply
I will endeavour to add information and references to the article when I can (I struggle to get my head round the actual process of adding references on wikipedia. I only have a mobile phone to work with at the moment which probably doesn't help)
If you struggle with the delights of ciding references just type [1]. It is the simpliest way to add references and with the current bots loating around, if its wrong they will pick it up and rescue it.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk) 13:38, 14 April 2023 (UTC)
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
13:38, 14 April 2023 (UTC)reply
Possibly right about Morrish. Can see the following when you search in books = The Stock Exchange Official Year-book - Page 1548 - 1944 · Snippet view · More editions
Taylor's of Yeovil in 1941 , Percival Clarke in 1942 and C. Morrish & Son Ld . of Lewes in 1943 . Owns branches at Boscombe , Bournemouth , Brighton , Eastbourne , Folkestone , Hastings , Southampton , Weymouth Unfortunately you cant actually see the page properly when you click on it!
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
14:53, 14 April 2023 (UTC)reply
it says there were 15 stores by the late 1930s. I don't know how true this is (it also says 'all along the south coast' which sums up the Plummer Roddis stores but isn't strictly correct) but if there were 15, possibly they were in Southsea and/or Southend. If you google search 'Plummer Roddis Southsea' and 'Plummer Roddis Southend' there is one result on each which links to facebook pages of former staff in each location. These are the only leads I've found though as yet.
AndrewSE19 (
talk)
15:24, 16 April 2023 (UTC)reply
Not sure about Southend - being local! Southend had Keddies, Dixons, Thomson Bros., jr roberts, Brightwells and a couple of small drapers plus the Co-op (which didn't become a department store until the 60s). I tried looking before for Southsea but found only Handleys and Knight & Lee.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
15:48, 16 April 2023 (UTC)reply
Research on British Newspaper Archive has uncovered a 'Southend' Plummer Roddis branch listed in a 'Debenhams' advert, Daily Mirror 15th September 1967
Found Southend branch in Leathergoods. Leathergoods vol.102 1967
[2] has it as High Street. Sarfend Forum said it was on the corner of Clifftown Rd, next to Mothercare, which could possibly be true as I found a very blurry but too small exert from The Estates Gazette volume 219 1971
[3] which looks to confirm this. Must have gone by 1977 as I don't ever remember it.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
16:43, 5 May 2023 (UTC)reply
Update - still not found a picture of plummers on Southend, but here
[4] is confirmation of the development stating Laing were building a building containing a department store, supermarket, 2 stores and offices. The closest pic I can find is the supermarket, but I cant find any confirmation of whom that was either!
[5]Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
07:10, 24 February 2024 (UTC)reply
describes the new Plummer Roddis at Palmerston Road, Southsea opened on Wednesday 28th March 1956. There is a list of the departments already opened and those due to open in July together with a restaurant.
Thats great. With the road, found it in Leathergoods Vol 80 1956
[6] which has it at 84-90, which is now the Lord Palmerston pub. Weird that they opened a store a few doors from Handleys which was also Drapery Trust/Debenhams!
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
16:11, 5 May 2023 (UTC)reply
Excellent stuff. 84-90! The Wetherspoon site says it was previously W & H Stevenson. I've looked at the Kelly's Directory for Hampshire, 1911 and it confirms it- 'William and Mrs Helen Stevenson & Co.'.
I wonder whether this business or at least their premises were acquired by Drapery Trust / Debenhams for use by Handleys after their store was bombed in 1941? The new Handleys building was completed in May 1955 and Plummer Roddis Southsea opened in March 1956.
AndrewSE19 (
talk)
19:28, 6 May 2023 (UTC)reply
If you look at Google Maps street view it is a Victorian or Edwardian building, so although it was a new Plummers store it was not a new building. Based on experiences elsewhere, a lot of smaller companies struggled during the war and were bought up by larger firms. I will look up Stevensons now and see if tgere was a link.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
06:37, 7 May 2023 (UTC)reply
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Brighton, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative, comprehensive and easy-to-use resource about Brighton and Hove. If you would like to participate, please visit the
project pageBrightonWikipedia:WikiProject BrightonTemplate:WikiProject BrightonBrighton articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Retailing, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
retailing on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.RetailingWikipedia:WikiProject RetailingTemplate:WikiProject RetailingRetailing articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject England, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
England on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.EnglandWikipedia:WikiProject EnglandTemplate:WikiProject EnglandEngland-related articles
Through searches on the internet and cross-referencing in Kelly's Directories I've discovered the names of some of the businesses that were renamed Plummer Roddis, as follows:
Andover - W Percival Clark
Bath - F Ealand
Weymouth - Robert R Talbot
Boscombe - R Tyrrell & Sons (a branch store of the larger Bournemouth business)
Eastbourne - Sharmans (probably a branch store of the larger Brighton business. There was also a Sharmans in Streatham, with similar class of trade and purpose built art deco building though I haven't so far established a connection to Brighton and Eastbourne. The Eastbourne store became a large branch of C & H Fabrics after closure)
AndrewSE19 (
talk)
21:43, 13 April 2023 (UTC)reply
add them in and quote the Kelly's directories that show the old name and plummers at that address. I know it's original work, but this is a historical company that is a nightmare to find stuff about. I added RR Talbot in yesterday from a ref that confirms the purchase and change of name when I was working on the Drapery Trust, who incidently owned the business. Not sure when they purchased it, but it was in between 1925 and 1928 (date of Talbot purchase). As per ref I added to Debenhams page, by 1956 Plummers had 13 branches (the ref does not say where!). Got 4 more stores to find!
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
11:38, 14 April 2023 (UTC)reply
I will endeavour to add information and references to the article when I can (I struggle to get my head round the actual process of adding references on wikipedia. I only have a mobile phone to work with at the moment which probably doesn't help)
If you struggle with the delights of ciding references just type [1]. It is the simpliest way to add references and with the current bots loating around, if its wrong they will pick it up and rescue it.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk) 13:38, 14 April 2023 (UTC)
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
13:38, 14 April 2023 (UTC)reply
Possibly right about Morrish. Can see the following when you search in books = The Stock Exchange Official Year-book - Page 1548 - 1944 · Snippet view · More editions
Taylor's of Yeovil in 1941 , Percival Clarke in 1942 and C. Morrish & Son Ld . of Lewes in 1943 . Owns branches at Boscombe , Bournemouth , Brighton , Eastbourne , Folkestone , Hastings , Southampton , Weymouth Unfortunately you cant actually see the page properly when you click on it!
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
14:53, 14 April 2023 (UTC)reply
it says there were 15 stores by the late 1930s. I don't know how true this is (it also says 'all along the south coast' which sums up the Plummer Roddis stores but isn't strictly correct) but if there were 15, possibly they were in Southsea and/or Southend. If you google search 'Plummer Roddis Southsea' and 'Plummer Roddis Southend' there is one result on each which links to facebook pages of former staff in each location. These are the only leads I've found though as yet.
AndrewSE19 (
talk)
15:24, 16 April 2023 (UTC)reply
Not sure about Southend - being local! Southend had Keddies, Dixons, Thomson Bros., jr roberts, Brightwells and a couple of small drapers plus the Co-op (which didn't become a department store until the 60s). I tried looking before for Southsea but found only Handleys and Knight & Lee.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
15:48, 16 April 2023 (UTC)reply
Research on British Newspaper Archive has uncovered a 'Southend' Plummer Roddis branch listed in a 'Debenhams' advert, Daily Mirror 15th September 1967
Found Southend branch in Leathergoods. Leathergoods vol.102 1967
[2] has it as High Street. Sarfend Forum said it was on the corner of Clifftown Rd, next to Mothercare, which could possibly be true as I found a very blurry but too small exert from The Estates Gazette volume 219 1971
[3] which looks to confirm this. Must have gone by 1977 as I don't ever remember it.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
16:43, 5 May 2023 (UTC)reply
Update - still not found a picture of plummers on Southend, but here
[4] is confirmation of the development stating Laing were building a building containing a department store, supermarket, 2 stores and offices. The closest pic I can find is the supermarket, but I cant find any confirmation of whom that was either!
[5]Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
07:10, 24 February 2024 (UTC)reply
describes the new Plummer Roddis at Palmerston Road, Southsea opened on Wednesday 28th March 1956. There is a list of the departments already opened and those due to open in July together with a restaurant.
Thats great. With the road, found it in Leathergoods Vol 80 1956
[6] which has it at 84-90, which is now the Lord Palmerston pub. Weird that they opened a store a few doors from Handleys which was also Drapery Trust/Debenhams!
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
16:11, 5 May 2023 (UTC)reply
Excellent stuff. 84-90! The Wetherspoon site says it was previously W & H Stevenson. I've looked at the Kelly's Directory for Hampshire, 1911 and it confirms it- 'William and Mrs Helen Stevenson & Co.'.
I wonder whether this business or at least their premises were acquired by Drapery Trust / Debenhams for use by Handleys after their store was bombed in 1941? The new Handleys building was completed in May 1955 and Plummer Roddis Southsea opened in March 1956.
AndrewSE19 (
talk)
19:28, 6 May 2023 (UTC)reply
If you look at Google Maps street view it is a Victorian or Edwardian building, so although it was a new Plummers store it was not a new building. Based on experiences elsewhere, a lot of smaller companies struggled during the war and were bought up by larger firms. I will look up Stevensons now and see if tgere was a link.
Davidstewartharvey (
talk)
06:37, 7 May 2023 (UTC)reply