153-154, Western Road, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 28 Mar 2016

Unlike the other stores located in the ground floor of Image numbers 153 and 154 have remained smaller single units. The former was a residential dwelling until the 1860s when it became a carpet and furniture warehouse something it would periodically return to during the 1870s. The following decade it was a pianoforte retailer then an art furnishers prior to William Padison the drapers expanding into the shop from neighbouring Image The latter remained a residence until 1890 after which it spent a couple of years as either a furnisher or decorator until this shop too were taken over by William Paddison. Along with their other stores at Image and Image it became Bon Marche in 1920 and from 1925 temporary homes for Boots Image and Wades Image whilst their stores were being rebuilt. The new premises within Mitre House remained separate after the rebuild with 153 becoming a branch of WH Smiths from 1938 until they acquired a more prominent location in the newly built Churchill Square at the end of the 1960s. It was replaced by another long serving chain, Milletts, which remained here for forty years. After just over a year as Stead & Simpson shoe shop the store was taken over by Tropik Home, a Turkish textiles business. Number 154 also saw a long tenure after the rebuild with the Bata Shoe Company occupying the premises until the mid 1970s. It was replaced by a succession of camera shops one of whom, City Camera Exchange would be acquired by Jessops who remained here until 2007 when the company ran into financial problems forcing it to close a large number of its stores. A period of being empty was punctuated by home accessories store Shelleys who lasted less than two years and since late 2012 by City Global Link who moved from 150. 153 1862-1870 - CARPET & FURNITURE WAREHOUSE (Roberts & Chamberlain) 1871 - CABINET MAKERS (Isard & Co) 1873 - FURNITURE WAREHOUSE (George Duncombe) 1875-1876 - MILLINER (Mrs Cutler) 1877-1879 - FURNITURE WAREHOUSE (The Co-Operative Furnishing Store) 1880-1890 - PIANOFORTE DEALERS (E Barnes & Co) 1891-1892 - ART FURNISHERS (Oliver & Co) 1919-1925 - DRAPER (William Padison 1919, Bon Marche 1920-25) REBUILD 1938-1971 - STATIONER (WH Smiths) 1972-2011 - OUTDOOR GOODS (Milletts) 2012-2013 - SHOE SHOP (Stead & Simpson) 2013-2016 - TEXTILES (Tropik Home) 154 1890-1891 - HOUSE FURNISHER (SG Perry) 1892-1895 - HOME ART DECORATOR (Alice Cooper) 1896-1925 - DRAPER (William Padison 1896-1919, Bon Marche 1920-25) REBUILD 1937-1975 - SHOE SHOP (Bata Shoe Co) 1980-2007 - CAMERA RETAILER (Photomarkets 1980-81, Intercity Cameras 1982-84, City Camera Exchange 1985-96, Jessops 1996-2007) 2009 2009-2011 - HOME ACCESSORIES (Shelleys) 2012-2016 - ELECTRONIC RETAIL & PHONE REPAIRS (City Global Link)

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