Woolworths – North Staffordshire Heritage

Memory Lane – Woolworths’ Stores

Until they closed in 2009, Woolworths’ stores dominated the High Street in many towns and cities.

Affectionately known as “Woolies”, they sold a wide range of goods including children’s toys, ladies’ clothes, chocolate, tins of paint and cutlery. Prices were reasonable and Woolworths attracted customers from all walks of life. If you and your family went shopping at a Woolworths’ store in North Staffordshire or South Cheshire, please share your memories of shopping there with us.

Our email address is northstaffordshireheritage@outlook.com

8 Classic Features To Help You Recognise an Old Woolworth’s Store

Memory Lane – Crewe Woolworths

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

59 – 67 High Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 2HA

Woolworths opened their 199th store in October 1925 in the town of Crewe. The store they built had a grand Art Deco style, as you can see in the photo below. It spanned from numbers 59 to 67 of the High Street.

Crewe Woolworths 1960

Source: Francis Frith

The store closed in 1984, another casualty of the Kingfisher closures. Today you’ll find Poundland here, and you’ll happy to see the Art Deco frontage is still there, but it seems to have lost the top floor (compare it to the 1960s photo to see!).

Crewe Former Woolworths - Poundland Crewe Former Woolworths – Poundland

Source: Ballysundriven

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Memory Lane – Congleton Woolworths

There was something for everyone at Woolworth stores, which were found on the High Street in major towns and cities throughout England and Wales.

Affectionately known as “Woolies”, these stores were like Aladdin’s Cave, stocked with a wide range of goods that attracted customers of all ages from all walks of life. Among the things you could buy at Woolworths were toys and games, chocolate and sweets, pop records and portable radios, car accessories, household paint, stationery and stamps, electric fires and fan heaters, garden furniture and plants… The list is endless.

Everyone who shopped at Woolworths will have memories of the store they bought from – its staff and the things they sold. If you and your family shopped at “Woolies”, please share your memories with us and tell us what you bought.

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

35 – 37 High Street, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 1AX

Woolworths opened in Congleton in 1927. It was a small store with a typical Woolworths look to the first floor – see below.

Congleton Woolworths 1956

Source: Congleton Through Time, Alcock J.

In 1968 Woolworths bought The Bears Head Hotel and Farrell’s Sweet Shop next door. They were demolished along with Banks Car Garage on Market Street to build a Woolworths superstore. At the time Mr. G. Lamb was the store manager, pictured below with his staff. These photos were in The New Bond (The House Journal of F. W. Woolworth and Co. Limited) June/July 1970 – kindly sent in by Richard Northover. He says “This was the forerunner of Woolworths/Woolies News, which was all about people and stores – not the political rag that was Woolies News!! It was named after the original head office in New Bond Street London…

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Memory Lane – Nantwich Woolworths

Until they closed in 2009, Woolworths stores dominated the High Street in small towns and cities.

Affectionately known as “Woolies”, they sold a wide range of goods ranging from children’s toys and sweets to tins of paint and cutlery. Prices were reasonable and Woolworths attracted customers from all walks of life. If you and your family went shopping at Woolworth’s store in Nantwich, please share your memories of shopping there with us. We look forward to hearing from you. Our email address is northstaffordshireheritage@outlook.com

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

10 Swine Market, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5LW

Woolworths opened in Nantwich in 1930 – you can see it in the below photo on the right side.

Nantwich Woolworths 1955

In the 1960s the area was redeveloped and a larger Woolworths opened. Note the oversized letters.

Nantwich Woolworths 1970s Nantwich Woolworths 1970

The store lasted until the end, closing in December 2008.

Nantwich Woolworths 2008

It soon became a B&M, which it still is today.

Nantwich Former Woolworths

And look closer, and you’ll see the original 1960s Woolworths doors still in use.

Nantwich Former Woolworths Doors

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Memory Lane – Sandbach Woolworths

There was something for everyone at Woolworth’s stores, which were on the High Street in major towns and cities throughout England and Wales.

Affectionately known as “Woolies”, these stores, like Aladdin’s Cave, were stocked with a wide range of goods that attracted customers of all ages from all walks of life. Among the things you could buy at Woolworths were toys and games, chocolate and sweets, pop records and portable radios, car accessories, household paint, stationery and stamps, electric fires and fan heaters, garden furniture and plants… The list is endless.

Everyone who shopped at Woolworths will have memories of the store they bought from – its staff and the things they sold. If you and your family shopped at “Woolies” in Sandbach, please share your memories and tell us what you bought.

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

12 High Street, Sandbach, Cheshire CW11 0AY

Woolworths opened in Sandbach in 1936. You can just about see it on the far left of this photo. A purpose-built store with a grey concrete block facade – not red brick for some reason.

Source: Francis Frith

Former Manager has sent in this photo and story from his time at Sandbach. “This picture was taken when I was manager of 635 Sandbach in early 1984. We had to have this put on the window with a message to the customers of how we were re organising the store. Funny thing is that I was ill with hepatitis and off work for all 6 weeks it was up.”

Source: East, A.

Sandbach Woolworths 2000s — Sandbach Woolworths

Former employee Matt Bennett shares some really interesting memories of the store, “Worked in Woolworths Sandbach right until the end. It has now…

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Memory Lane – Longton Woolworths

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

28 Market Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST3 1BT

Woolworths opened in Longton in 1927, back when it was a rich and thriving town. You can see the store on the left side of this photo, next to Boots.

Longton Woolworths 1950s

Source: Stoke-on-Trent Live

In 1965, a new shopping centre called the Bennett Precinct opened. It still exists today, with a very green look. Woolworths extended in size, taking over Boots, and having a new boxy look. It had a side entrance into the Bennett Precinct. The store lasted until the end, closing in December 2008.

Longton Woolworths 2008

Source: The Potteries

Longton is quite a sad story when you look at it today. This photo is at the exact same angle as the 1950s one at the start of this post. What was once a bustled street is now full of abandoned shops. The only bit still in use…

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Memory Lane – Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths

There was something for everyone at Woolworths stores, which were found on the High Street in towns and cities throughout England and Wales.

Affectionately known as “Woolies”, these stores were like an Aladdin’s Cave. They stocked a wide range of goods and attracted customers of all ages who came from all walks of life. Among the things you could buy at Woolworths were toys and games, chocolate and sweets, pop records, portable radios, car accessories, household paint, stationery and stamps, electric fires, fan heaters, garden furniture and plants.

Everyone who shopped at Woolworths will have memories of their local store and the things it sold. If you and your family shopped at “Woolies” in Newcastle-under-Lyme, please share your memories with us and tell us what you bought there.

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

96 High Street (formerly Penkhull Street), Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs ST5 1QF

The 300th Woolworths store opened in 1928 on Penkhull Street in a timber-framed building. At some point Penkhull Street was renamed ‘High Street’.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths 1930s

Source: BBC

After WW2 the ‘3d and 6d’ was dropped from the fascia so it read ‘F. W. Woolworth’.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths 1950s

Source: Age Photo Stock

In the 1950s a zebra crossing was put on the road directly in front of Woolworths.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths 1950s

Source: Pinterest

Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths 1950s

Source: Magnolia Box

In presumeably 1960s, Woolworths had a major makeover. They demolished the original timber-framed building and built a two-floor superstore that took the whole of the corner plot. It went all the way to the other end of Friar Street where there was another entrance.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths 1965

In the 1970s, the logo was updated on the fascia.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Woolworths 1970s

Source:

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Memory Lane – Stafford Woolworths

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

18 Market Square, Stafford

Woolworths opened their 320th store in Stafford on 23rd June 1928. It was at 18 Market Square, in a building full of character. You can see the store on the right here, next to the building works.

Stafford Woolworths 1934

Source: Staffordshire Past Track

In 1962, it was intended for Woolworths to move to a bigger purpose-built store at Gaolgate Street and for the Market Square store to close. (Source: Soult’s Retail View)

The store number of 320 was transferred to the new store. But for some reason Woolworths decided to keep the old store open. With the store number given to the new branch, the Market Square store had to be assigned a new number, and that was store number 1067. You can see the original store open in this 1972 photo.

Stafford Woolworths (Market Square) 1972

Source: Stoke on Trent Live

The Market…

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Memory Lane – Stoke-upon-Trent Woolworths

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

6-8 Majestic Buildings, Campbell Place, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs

Woolworths opened in Stoke-on-Trent in 1928. Two other Stoke-on-Trent stores already existed at Hanley and Longton. This third one opened at 6-8 Majestic Buildings, which we know thanks to Graham Soult‘s research. You can see the small store on the far right of this photo. The building on the far left was the Majestic Cinema, and in front are concrete shelters for cinema-goers to be protected from the rain when queuing.

Stoke-on-Trent Woolworths 1957

12 – 14 Campbell Place, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST4 1LY

In the 1957, quite soon after the above photo was taken, Woolworths acquired the cinema and demolished it to building a new, bigger store. The rather ugly concrete shelters were kept – they were then used as bus shelters.

Stoke on Trent Woolworths 1960s

Source: Facebook

In the below 1963 photo, you can see the new Woolworths store in…

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Memory Lane – Burslem Woolworths

Woolies Buildings - Then and Now

17-19 St John’s Square, Burslem, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST6 3AN

Woolworths opened in Burslem in September 1929 in a purpose-built two-storey building. According to the book Burslem Through Time by Mervyn Edwards, the first store manager was L.H. Hewitt. This branch of Woolworths stocked a range of locally manufactured china and pottery items.

Burslem Woolworths 1930s

Source: Historic England

In 1966 the store was modernised – this photo was taken just after the store reopened. Doors were moved to the left, and inside you can see signage on the walls saying ‘Quality Foods’ and ‘Frozen Foods’. The store was quite long inside.

Burslem Woolworths 1966