Food Hall – Plummers (then Debenhams) Hastings 21st October 1965

who remembers the food hall in Plummers? Remember it well and the first taste of yogurt, which tasted disgusting!

Brigitte Lee… I remember it. In my mind it was under the stairs?

Alan Esdaile… Pretty sure it was in a step down at the back of the entrance floor.

Richard J Porter… My wife would go there with her mother. It was opposite her Father’s Greengrocers, Coopers.

Steve Martin… Worked there early 70’s. It was Debenhams by then. Bonita’s on a Friday night after being paid my wages for the week. £4.50 tops. Good times with the football team on a Sunday. Alan, Simon etc.

Coco Pops… Remember the Wine Shop???

Plummers Record Department Robertson Street Hastings 1967/1968 (then Debenhams)

Leigh Wieland-Boys… My first job when I moved to Hastings was at Plummer Roddis in 1971, no record department then

Jim Breeds… I think there were other Plummers branches? Maybe this was an advert for that. It doesn’t say “Roddis” in the ad as far as i can see.

Leigh Wieland-Boys… Ah, thought it was PR as Alan said it was now Debenhams

Alan Esdaile… Advert came from Hastings Observer. Remember the record department being on the 3rd floor, not sure what year it closed. They had 5 or 6 record listening booths, so used to be on our record shop listening tour on a Saturday. Odd memory, I remember buying Janie Jones Witches Brew single from the cheap box.

Patrick Lewis… There was a record department in the late 60’s. I remember seeing a number of Beach Boys albums which you didn’t usually see in other local record stores.

Alan Pepper… Wow ! Great ad . I don’t remember seeing this but would love to use the Time Machine and go back . Would buy anything Bluebeat or Vertigo swirl label ! Anyone else ?

Jim Breeds… in her right hand is the Supremes, but what is she holding in her left?

Richard J Porter… With thanks to Revolvy. Plummer Roddis was a chain of department stores based in the South of England which was acquired by Debenhams.
History…
Plummer Roddis started out as separate companies in the 19th Century. William Plummer started out as a draper in Hastings and in 1871 had a store at 3 Robertson Street, before opening another store in Southampton the corner of Above Bar and Commercial Street. George Roddis in 1870 was listed as a draper in Market Harborough, but by 1881 was a partner in a drapers & milliners called Roddis & Goldsmith at 1-2 Robertson Street, Hastings. In the late 19th Century William Plummer, George Roddis and Reginald Tyrrell, a Bournemouth draper, joined forces to create Plummer, Roddis and Tyrrell but in 1898 Reginald Tyrrell relinquished their partnership to concentrate on his other business Tyrrell & Green and the business became Plummer Roddis. The business continued to grow opening branches in Boscombe, Brighton, Bath, Eastbourne, Folkestone, Andover Weymouth, and Yeovil. The business was celebrated by being mentioned in H. G. Wells book Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul.
In 1927 the Hastings store was rebuilt by renown architect Henry Ward (he also designed the additions to the Brighton store), while the Southampton store and Bournemouth store were extensively rebuilt, the last work before World War II being completed at Bournemouth to the designs of the architect Jonathan Makepeace in 1938. The head office of the Plummer Roddis group was based in Sillwall Road, Brighton.
During the Second World War the Southampton store was destroyed by German bombing, and operated out of different locations across the city until a new store was completed in 1965. However, by this time Plummer Roddis had been bought by Debenhams, who invested in a new branch to be built in Guildford, which opened in 1968. In the early 1970s the stores were rebranded as Debenhams, except for the Southampton store. In 1972 the Bournemouth store was re-opened as a Debenhams by Terry Wogan, but for the store to be closed down a year later when Debenhams rebranded the Bobby & Co. store in the town. The Boscombe branch had been closed the previous year. By 2014 the only Plummer Roddis stores that operated as Debenhams still open were Guildford and Hastings. The Southampton store continued to operate under the Plummer Roddis name until 14 August 1993, when the store closed its doors for the last time. The store is now home to a teaching centre for Southampton Solent University.

 

 

Debenhams Robertson Street Hastings advert 1975

John Gale… I remember buying punk singles from their ground-floor record store. Some as cheap as 10p each. Oh for a time machine. Some of those singles are worth well over 100 quid each now. Original Sex Pistols releases for instance…I’m talking pre Virgin releases. Happy days…

Chris Boorman… John,  I think so, but can’t remember what, except for a Motown box set and I think I got a French Anarchy single there as well. Had a safety pin on the sleeve.

Lynda Whatley… Was a great store back in the day !

Anita Medhurst… I miss it so much used to buy loads of stuff in there including my wedding dress

Marilyn Spence… Loved Debenhams, was still a school girl and with my sister was so excited to get our first pair of high heels there. They were black and I recall them being 25 shillings

Jane Dorsett… I was a window dresser at Debenhams in the late 70s.

Caz Simpson… I worked there for a short while in 1964/65 when it was Plummers. It’s so sad it had to close.

Neal Hunter… Worked there when it was Plummers and Debenhams met some great people even got engaged to one. I used to run the Debenhams football team which played other stores on Sundays. Good Times

Owens Entertainment takes over Debenhams, Robertsons Street Hastings 2022

Just a small part of what is happening soon in the old Debenhams, Robertson Street now called Owens.

Andy Qunta… Looks great!

Peter Fairless… Experience Hastings in 1066 – when free on street parking was abundant!

Graham Sherrington… Debenhams has GONE!!!!!

Stuart Moir… I’ll keep my opinion on ice until I see the cost of entry for a mum on her own with children

Shops Glorious Shops – Woolworths and more – Tony May’s Christmas Blog

photo Hastings – Tony May 2008

Tony May… It’s amazing how life in lockdown effects different people in different ways. I am lucky in many respects to be living with two other people – so I am never on my own for very long – but even then I feel ‘cut off’ from society.

Continues here…

https://tmchristmas.blogspot.com/2020/11/shops-glorious-shops.html

Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman staybright autograph 1969 supplied by Josie Lawson

Josie Lawson… Alan Freeman’s autograph from my autograph book. I met him when he was doing a staybright session. I only had a small diary with me at the time. He signed in red biro on my date March 1969…first word Staybright.  I left school at near 16 years in 1964 and went onto work at Plummers now known as Debenhams but due to eye 👁 probs had to leave in 1966. I went into work at estate agents in George Street, but always came back that way to go home for lunch. At that time I lived in and flat in Cornwallis Gardens. I passed through outside Debenhams to go for lunch, I can only think that is where I saw him. If I remember right, staybright was used in a laundry powder TV adverts.

Dennis Torrance… His Sunday night pop charts who could not remember pop pickers he was good and did a horror film with Peter Cushion

Nick Shute… It was on the other night!…dr.terrors house of horrors….not arf!

Alan Pepper… Not arf pop pickers !! What a legend he was . Anyone else got an autograph with a interestng story to it ?

Leigh Wieland-Boys… What a coincidence Josie, I worked at Plummers & also lived in Cornwallis Gardens – circa 1971/2, then lived there again in 1977, but I didn’t meet Fluff!

Tony Davis… Leigh, the memories, the people and of course the music.

Terry Pack… I don’t have an autograph, but I do have a story. I was playing at The Marquee Club in Wardour Street with The Enid in 1976 and Alan Freeman introduced us before the gig. He was a fan of the band an he frequently played tracks from our albums on his show.

No Home Jerome… My brother in law gave me this. It was from a party in 1977 to celebrate the first 10 years. I think it was fluff that gave it to him.

Nash Sunley… My claim to fame, I delivered his news paper every morning to his penthouse flat in the 60.s

Musicman Dee… Not arf.

Jim Breeds… All I can add is that I have some cassettes of his 1970s Saturday afternoon Radio 1 shows that might or might not still play.