188-191, Western Road, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 28 Mar 2016

The current shop on the corner of Regent Hill was built around 1930 as a department store for Wades. WJ Wade had been a draper who started his business from 188 in the early 1890s and gradually expanded into numbers 189-191 over the next decade. Prior to Wade’s arrival number 188 had been in commercial use since at least the mid 1840s with the longest tenure belonging to a china and glass warehouse during the 1860s. Number 189 was converted to commercial use in the mid 1850s and spent forty years as a boot and shoe warehouse before Wade moved in. Neighbouring 190 had also been converted to commercial use by the mid 1840s and was an organ builder, artists suppliers and paper hanger until Wade took over in 1903. Lastly, number 191 was in commercial use by the mid 1840s and was home to a John Cully then his daughter who were brush makers until 1913 when Wade expanded into their premises. After the rebuild Wades remained in business until the end of the 1970s after which it was briefly taken over by Owen Owen Ltd who closed the store in 1981. The following year it was taken over by Primark who would remain until 2007 when they moved to bigger premises at Image and were replaced by New Look who moved from their former smaller shop at Image Old Images View of the old Wades, 1928 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume19/source/jg_19_136.html Newly built Wades, 1930 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume19/source/jg_19_097.html Wades, 1970s - http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/images/uploaded/scaled/00466.jpg 188 1845-1848 - CHINA & GLASS WAREHOUSE (Bishop & Strange) 1850 - FISHMONGER (John Best) 1852-1861 - UPHOLSTERER (George Duncombe) 1862-1874 - CHINA & GLASS WAREHOUSE (Louis Defreis) 1875 - DRAPER & MILLINER (Harry Steel) 1876-1877 - LITHOGRAPHER, STATIONER & FANCY WAREHOUSE (F Bolus) 1879-1884 - BRUSH & COMB MAKER (FJ Thyer) 1885-1891 - FURRIER (Nowakowski & Son) 1892-1929 - DRAPER (WJ Wade) 189 1854-1895 - BOOT & SHOE WAREHOUSE (W Hatch (1854-64, W Vinson 1865-83, John Good (1884-95) 1896-1929 - DRAPER (WJ Wade) 190 1845-1852 - ORGAN BUILDER & MUSIC SELLER (Stephen Gates) 1854-1886 - ARTISTS REPOSITORY (Patching & Co 1856-77, A Harman 1879-85, Sinclair & James 1886) 1887-1902 - PAPER HANGING (Day & Son) 1903-1929 - DRAPER (WJ Wade) 191 1845-1913 - BRUSH MAKER (Miss Culley) 1914-1929 - DRAPER (WJ Wade) REBUILD 188-191 1932-1981 - DEPARTMENT STORE (Wades 1932-79, Owen Owen Ltd 1976-81) 1982-2015 - CLOTHES (Primark 1982-2007, New Look 2008-15)

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