A ladies' clothes shop in the High Street
Can anyone remember during the late 1950s, the name of the ladies’ clothes shop between Market Road and Egan’s the record shop, it may even have been attached to it. (Not to be confused with the Wool Shop at the bottom of Station Road that became Feathers). The owner held at least one fashion show in a nearby hall.
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The Fishes lived in Southend Road, two houses up from Mount Cottage where my family lived 1957-96. Mr & Mrs Fish, who had the drapers in the High Street, had a daughter, Joyce, who married Major Edward Giles. The Fishes had a home built alongside their own and next to our former family home – Mount Cottage – which was in Southend Road between St Catherine’s Church and Mount Road. Mount Cottage, located beside the church, had been established and resided in by S C Darby, vendor of agricultural machinery in Runwell Road, prior to us.
The Giles’ home was and probably still is known as “Silver Pines”.
Mrs Giles had her own shop between Market Road and the former Carlton cinema [which] turned into the Woolworth’s branch. I can only recall this from the 1960’s, when I have a feeling the shop originally known as Giles was re-named “Joyce”.
The dress shop next to Egans was Victors. A lovely lady, Mrs Spurling, ran the shop. I think it closed when they redeveloped that area. Mrs Spurling’s daughter, Brenda, was carnival queen in the early sixties. Does anyone else remember Hawkes greengrocery? The shop laid back from Victors on the end of the row of cottages.
Andrea, was your dad Ray Olley, who lived off Market Road? if so I went to school with him way back, also the Whalleys in the same era?
My mother worked as a sales assitant at Lilywhites ladies fashion shop, part time, in the mid fifties. Her manageress was Mrs Ferrier. Mr and Mrs Lilywhite visited the shop regularly. They had a son Roger, and he spent some of his school summer holidays staying with his grandmother, further up the road from where we used to live, in Laburnham Avenue. Roger and I used to play together. My mother enjoyed working there very much.
Going towards Halls Corner, after Suttons and the dentist’s, Cochrans, I think, and Dr. Frew’s, were three or four fashion shops. The first would be Giles, owned by Major Giles. Then came Fishes and one that has been forgotten here was Helliers. This was a Man’s shop and even in the mid 50s you could buy jeans.
The shop was Lilywhites of Leighton. The manageress was my mother, Vi Ferrier, who later moved to to Rayleigh on the opening of the new Lilywhites. The owner was Stan Lilywhite who lived in Eastwood Road, Raleigh.
I used to go in Fishes Drapers every Spring to choose two dresses for summer. I was allowed to choose the styles but to me one was always better than the other, so I looked forward to the days when I was able to wear my favourite one. I think that Fishes was situated between the Doctors’ surgery, Dr Frew and his two sons, and the junction of the High Street and London Road/Nevendon Road.
Giles was the ladies fashion shop before Madelines and in the same spot
Giles was where the Wimpey is today.
I believe that the fashion shop between Market Road and Egens was called Victors and owned by a Mrs Gunnet and was very upmarket. It possibly had shows in the Congregational hall. Lillywhites was on the left hand side of Westways. I too remember Madelenes, they always had lovely window displays.
Hi, I believe there was a ladies clothes shop somewhere between Garbutts the chemists and Sansoms the mens outfitters called ‘Madelenes’ (not that I used to hang around ladies clothing stores)
Thank you for that information, I have a feeling Liliywhites is probably the name of the shop that I wondering about. Fishes I definitely remember, a smashing shop where you could buy anything to do with drapery. Giles isn’t ringing any bells with me at all. Where in the town was that, do you remember?
There were three fashion shops in Wickford in the late fifties, Lilywhites, Giles and Fishes
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