32 Sydney Street

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 24 Jul 2011

Originally one of three pubs or beer houses found on the street and called the George & Dragon shortened from St George & the Dragon. This was the first to go in 1914 after which the premises were used by furniture dealers and then by Dukenfields who expanded from Image and who seem to have begun life as a cabinet makers then worked their way through saw dealers, builders and finished off as ironmongers during their fifty year tenure. During the late 1950s the shop was occupied by Rayford Electrics whose first shop sold and repaired washing machines and grew fast enough to warrant an expansion into Image at the northern end of the street by the mid 1960s though they seem to have temporarily reoccupied this shop during the 1970s when 22-23 was being rebuilt. Into the 1980s it became one of many second hand record shops and by the end of the decade had been expanded into once more from 33 as part of Tiger Music who continued trading for a further decade. By the turn of this century it was home to Minky, purveyor of men’s fashions who were successful enough to first open another shop in the street at Image then move to bigger premises in the centre of the town on Ship Street. Since 2007 it has been home to an independent children’s toy shop called Daisy Daisy. OCCUPANTS 1856-1914: BEER HOUSE: George & Dragon (St George & the Dragon up to 1898) 1915-18: FURNITURE DEALERS: Marchant & Son 1917-58: IRONMONGERS/SAW MAKERS/BUILDERS: Dukenfields 1959-66: ELECTRICAL RETAILER: Rayford Electrics 1970: SHOEMAKER: Kens Shoe 1972-73: BOUTIQUE: Georgie Girl 1974: ELECTRICAL RETAILER: Rayford Electrics 1981-86: SECOND HAND RECORDS: Record Hunter 1990-99: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: Tiger Music 2000-07: MENS WEAR: Minky 2007-11: CHILDREN’S TOYS: Daisy Daisy

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