147-148, North Street, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 20 Sep 2015

Originally separate shops that were demolished in 1962 and rebuilt at the end of the 1960s. One hundred and forty seven had been a tobacconist, milliner and tea dealer until the 1890s when the National Provincial & Union Bank moved. There it remained for twenty six years to be replaced by estate agents Parsons, Son & Basley who would remain here until 1958 when they moved to another premises in Queens Road. The firm was established in 1825 and are still trading in 2015. One hundred and forty eight were a confectioners, wine merchant, a public house called the Gladstone Inn, then nearly forty years as a fruiterer and florist. For the last thirteen years of the old buildings existence it was a jewellers. The numbers were combined after the construction of the new Prudential House and the first occupiers were Gilkes & Son who had traded in neighbouring Image They were superseded by Manders who continued trading until the late 1990s. In 2005 a record store, Fopp, opened to great fanfare but was undone by their purchase of MVC and the predominance of downloading music. After their demise the shop spent a year as a discount store before Somerfield decided to open a small local supermarket in the week they were taken over by the Co-Op. OLD IMAGES Number 147 and 148, 1950s - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_111.html 147 1845-1848 - TOBACCONIST (Albert Welling) 1850-1854 - MILLINER (Joseph Ranger) 1871-1896 - TEA DEALER (Barber & Co) 1897-1923 - BANK (National Provincial & Union Bank) 1924-1958 - ESTATE AGENT (Parsons, Son & Basley) REBUILT 148 1845-1852 - CONFECTIONERS (W & J Trangmar) 1856-1867 - WINE & SPIRIT STORES (Frank Carter) 1868-1883 - PUBLIC HOUSE (Gladstone Inn) 1894-1931 - FRUITERER & FLORIST (Miss Peters 1894-1925, Arthur Pratt 1926-31) 1935-1936 - DRUG STORE (Desmond Day) 1937 - SPORTS OUTFITTERS (Allweathers) 1947-1960 - JEWELLERS (L Leslie) REBUILD 1968-1996 - WALLPAPER MERCHANTS (John Gilkes & Son 1968-82, Manders 1983-96) 2005-2007 - RECORD SHOP (Fopp) 2007-2008 - DECORATORS MERCHANTS (Great Clearance Store) 2008-2015 - SUPERMARKET (Somerfield 2008-10, Co-Op 2010-15)

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