123-124, Western Road, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 28 Mar 2016

For many years the shop on the corner of Temple Street was a lighting retailer which seemed to be having a closing down sale since its opening in the early 1980s. I still possess a stand alone lamp purchased in their final closing down sale of 2002. Saying that the shop was a lovely sight in the dark winter months with all the lamps in the window turned on. Alas all final closing down sales have to end one day and it did in 2013 when the owners decided to retire, even then it shut then reopened before closing forever. Since 2015 it has been an ice cream parlour. Number 123 was a residential dwelling up to the First World becoming a dentist and then an office for Pinkerton’s Detective Agency. Its neighbour was also residential until the late 1880s before a large succession of businesses passed through the longest being a ham and beef store. Around 19919 both premises were acquired by Caffyns, a well known local car seller who are still trading today and are responsible for constructing some lovely art deco show rooms around the county during the 1920s. They stayed until the end of the 1930s when they were replaced by a home furnishers. After the war it briefly returned as a car showroom before moving converting to interior retailing; first with fireplaces, then with carpets and after a brief stint as a fruiterer, with lighting. 123 1893-1896 - DRESSMAKER (Madame Aline) 1914-1916 - DENTAL SURGERY (CC Titcomb) 1918-1919 - Pinkerton Detective Agency 124 1889-1893 - ESTATE AGENTS (Parsons & Son) 1894 - COMPLEXION SPECIALIST (Mrs Anna Ruppert) 1896 - FURRIER (Fullers Betring Fur Stores) 1899 - CYCLE AGENT (H Dell) 1900-1903 - CABINET MAKER & UPHOLSTERER (WE Parry & Co) 1904 - FURNITURE DEALER (JH Wiley) 1906-1917 - HAM & BEEF STORES (Thomas Sims) 1918-1919 - TAILORS (Vernon & Co) 123-124 1920-1938 - AUTOMOBILE AGENTS & ENGINEERS (Caffyns Ltd) 1939-1940 - HOME FURNISHERS (Ennis & McGregor Ltd) 1947 - MOTOR ENGINEERS & AGENTS (Piper Howard Ltd) 1949-1966 - FUEL APPLIANCES & KITCHEN EQUIPMENT (Fyne Fireplaces Ltd) 1970-1976 - CARPET DEALERS (Marley Homecare Retail Ltd) 1978-1981 - FRUITERER (John Felix & Sons) 1981-2013 - LIGHTING STORE (Town & Country Lighting 1981-90, Classical Lighting 1991-2013) 2015-2016 - CAFE (Jojos)

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