We’ve all heard of gun runners, drug runners, booze runners, ciggy runners, and so on. A friend of mine even told me of his tee-total, staunch Methodist, aged great uncle whose weekly ‘running’ consisted of taking a bottle of Irish Whiskey to his equally aged, though...
Audrey Hepburn remains an enduring symbol of grace, beauty, and humanity. Born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium, Hepburn's rise from her modest beginnings to become a Hollywood legend and a compassionate humanitarian is a story of inspiration and nostalgia....
The Blackpool Tramway is a British icon, one of the oldest electric tram systems in the world and a symbol of Blackpool's rich history. Stretching along the Lancashire coastline, the network has been intrinsically tied to Blackpool's evolution as a beloved seaside...
The Trafford Centre, nestled in Greater Manchester, England, stands as one of the United Kingdom's premier shopping and leisure destinations. Its journey through time is a fascinating story of persistence and evolution. Let's take a closer look at how this iconic...
You are going to be disappointed if you think this article might be a review for a new movie in the Iron Man Franchise from Marvel Studios. Our iron man isn’t Robert Downey Jr. It is in fact Freddie Steele who became one of Port Vale’s most loved and respected...
A Royal Beginning (1844) Manchester Victoria Station opened its doors on January 1, 1844, marking the start of what would become a long and storied history. It holds the distinction of being the first station in the UK to be named “Victoria,” thanks to the special...
Douglas Earle Marshall, Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway was on a roll. The company was pleased with the success of his I3 class 4-4-2 tank engines, so much so that Douglas was given free reign to design...
In this case the last loco was not some last of its class high-performance main line express engine that once grabbed the headlines but a lowly tank locomotive that attracted little attention. On week ending 16 February 1952, British Railways officially withdrew...
In the mid-'90s, Manchester was more than just a city; it was the beating heart of the British music scene, pulsing with the energy of a new generation of bands ready to take on the world. Among them, one band emerged like a lightning bolt, electrifying not just the...
The Second World War was a period of profound upheaval for the United Kingdom, not only on the battlefields but also on the home front. As bombs fell and men went off to fight, the people left behind faced a different kind of challenge: making do with less. Rationing,...
The well-known Lewis’s department store in Ranelagh Street, Liverpool, was left a burnt-out shell after Luftwaffe raided the city in the 1941 May Blitz.
The handsome building had become little more than smoky remains by Saturday, May 3rd – the distinctive round arches of the first floor charred and blackened by fire.
The first Lewis’s store in the UK opened in Liverpool when entrepreneur David Lewis started his men’s and boy’s clothing store in 1856. More departments were added over the next 20 years, including an early Christmas grotto in 1879.
Over the years, the Lewis’s grotto – complete with Santa Claus – became an essential part of the festive season for generations of Liverpool children.
Lewis’s expanded beyond Merseyside when stores were opened in Manchester in 1877 and Birmingham in 1885.
The Liverpool store in Ranelagh Street burnt down in 1886 and was rebuilt. It was refurbished again in 1957. The Liverpool Resurgent statue over the corner entrance symbolised the city’s recovery after World War II.
During the 1950s, the Red Rose restaurant and self-service cafeteria on the 5th floor were the places to meet and eat in the city. The lifts were manned by attendants as there were no controls for shoppers to operate.
Liverpool was the last of the Lewis’s chain to carry on trading. It went into liquidation in March 2007 but was sold to Vergo Retail and continued to use the Lewis’s name.
The store closed permanently in May 2010.
Blacklers department store in Liverpool also suffered heavy damage in the 1941 May Blitz. Windows were blown out and the ground floor was gutted at the building on the corner of Elliot Street and Great Charlotte Street.
Here is how the building looked in 2011 (thanks to Google Street View)
Featured Image: Lewis’s department store in Ranelagh Street burnt out after WW2 Raid – source Liverpool Then and Now – iNostalgia Publishing / MirrorPix
Former daily newspaper editor and group editorial director for leading national media brands, Malcolm is a regular contributor to the iNostalgia National History with a love for our national heritage.