36-37, Western Road, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 25 Mar 2016

Two three storey houses from the mid 19th century that have been converted into shops but have not been merged like a number of others on the southern side. Number 36 spent nearly 70 years as a cabinet makers/upholsterers under three different businesses. From 1916 and for the next 50 years it was the second shop of Alfred Dudkin (Sometimes known as Abraham) a furrier who moved from Image Dudkin was a Jewish immigrant from Russia who arrived in Britain in 1898 and set up the business in 1910. He also dabbled in photography and owned a studio in nearby West Street in the 1920s. The business was run by his son after Dudkin’s death in 1949 and continued until dissolved in 1989. By 1966 the shop had briefly become a novelty shop producing cocktail sticks run by the same family though they had departed by 1968 replaced by a shoe shop, Ravel. During the 1980s and most of the 1990s it was a sport shop, then briefly a carpet retailer before becoming a hairdressers in 2004. Number 37 was briefly home to Charles Peay before he moved to Image, then a hairdressers for a quarter of a century before spending another 40 years as a mantle maker, mantles being a Victorian cape made for women. Much of the 1920s and 30s saw a steady stream of businesses pass through before Willoughby & Son, a tailor took over the premises in 1937 and stayed until the early 1980s. Clothing continued to be sold for the next thirty years albeit aimed at women. When Ann harvey closed in 2012 it was briefly replaced by an arts and craft shop then remained empty until the beginning of 2016 when it became a beauty saloon. Further reading Dudkin Family - http://www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/DudkinModernStudios.htm 36 1848-1915 - CABINET MAKERS & UPHOLSTERERS (F Wood & Son 1848-75, Puttick & Payne 1876-88, E Whylock 1889-1915) 1916-1966 - FURRIER (Dudkin) 1966-1968 - FANCY GOODS (Mayfair Novelty Co) 1969-1980 - SHOE SHOP (Chaussures Ravel Ltd) 1981-1996 - SPORTS SHOP (Supasports 1981-90, Olympus 1991-96) 2001 - CARPET RETAILER (SP Discounts) 2004-2016 - HAIRDRESSERS (Mr Toppers 2004-13, Mr Leo 2013-16) 37 1845-1846 - ENGRAVERS (Charles Peay & Co) 1850-1877 - HAIRDRESSER & PERFUMER (DG Edmonstone) 1879-1921 - MANTLES (C Beardell 1879-97, Edward Jarvis 1898-1911, C Beardell 1912-21) 1923-1925 - SHOE SHOP (W Barratt & Co 1923, Footshape Shoe Co 1925) 1926-1928 - WATCHES (Ingersoll Watch Co) 1929-1933 - OUTFITTERS (Woodhouse) 1935-1936 - ENAMEL MANUFACTURERS (Nu-Enamel Co) 1937-1982 - TAILORS (Willoughby & Co) 1984-2012 - LADIESWEAR (Dash 1984-91, Ann Harvey 1993-2012) 2012 - ART & CRAFTS (Inside Out) 2016 - BEAUTY SALOON (Lashious)

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