completed shearns department store tottenham crt rd

[kascon]

i am trying to find out information on shearns department store tottenham crt rd. my grandfather was once overheard saying it belonged to his family but as he didnt get on with his family we would like to find out about this. i do know it had apparently a good rrestaurant as its in a victorian restaurant guide but thats all. would like to know who owned it so we can verify this , what happened to it and any photos? address of the store was 231 234 tottenham crt rd

[janan]

Hi
Have you tried googling? A few references pop up.
Jan

[jorose]

The Times, Wednesday, Dec 08, 1909; pg. 20; Issue 39137; col F
Mr Shearn, exhibit of nut foods at the Royal Horticultural Society.

The Times, Thursday, Dec 23, 1909; pg. 2; Issue 39150; col F
- mentions a William B. Shearn of Tottenham Court Road, Florist.

The Times, Thursday, Jan 20, 1910; pg. 10; Issue 39174; col E
London vegetarian society, annual meeting at Shearn's Fruitarian Saloon, Tottenham Court Road

The Times, Thursday, Mar 27, 1913; pg. 1; Issue 40170; col A
Died, on the 25th, at 42, Store-street, Bedford-square, London, WC, Benjamin Shearn, fruiterer, aged 85.  Friends, please accept this intimation.

The Times, Wednesday, Sep 20, 1916; pg. 1; Issue 41277; col A
Birth - on Monday, 18th Sep, Ella Shearn, wife of W. B. Shearn of 231 Tottenham Court Road, W. - a son.

William Benjamin Shearn was born 1872 (freebmd), married 1914 to Ella L Masterton (freebmd), both these events in the district of St. Giles (London).

The Times, Friday, Jan 14, 1938; pg. 1; Issue 47892; col A
Deaths: On Jan 12, 1938, in a London nursing home, William Benjamin (Joe) Shearn, beloved husband of Ella Shearn of 4, Cambridge Gate, Regent's Park, NW1 and Tottenham Court Road.  Funeral service at St. Pancras Church, Euston Road, NW1, on Tuesday next, at 2.30pm, followed by internment at St. Pancras cemetery, East Finchley.

If you look at www.familysearch.org, you'll see a family in 1881 - Benjamin Shearn, wife Ellen Ann, daughter Helena M, son William B, nephew George F. Skipp.  (Helena married Charles Chaplais).  Any of these names ring a bell?

[kascon]

no but im just starting out. my aunt has a lot of info. we have lots on the founder member jacob in islington in 1881 census but not the 1891 on. thats why i was also requesting that. we dont know where jacob came from but we do know he was born in St.james middlesex. he may have had siblings and obviously he had parents. thats why i was trying to establish who these people were. i will get back to you on this one.

[Gadget]

As Jan says, there are quite a few hits on Goggle if you put in shearns +tottenham court road. it would appear to have been an early spearhead of the health food movement, among other things.

Regards

Gadget

[Zanod]

I don't know whether you are still interested, 2007 is some years ago.   I'm getting on a bit now, but I have very fond memories of eating in Shearns restaurant in Tottenham court road in the 1950's.

   It was without a doubt the best vegetarian place I  have ever known.   It was very big, 3 floors I think.  The ground floor was a huge greengrocer shop, packed with exotic varieties you never saw anywhere else at that time, as well as a dazzling display of flowers.

The 2nd and 3rd floors were restaurants.  The food was exceptionally delicious. The prices were amazingly reasonable, bearing in mind I was earning a pittance at the time.   The place was always packed.  I wish such a restaurant existed today.

Several years later in the 70's I found what was apparently left of the firm, a very small florist named Shearns in a small neighbouring side street. It was quite sad.

[David Aherne]

i am trying to find out information on shearns department store tottenham crt rd. my grandfather was once overheard saying it belonged to his family but as he didnt get on with his family we would like to find out about this. i do know it had apparently a good rrestaurant as its in a victorian restaurant guide but thats all. would like to know who owned it so we can verify this , what happened to it and any photos? address of the store was 231 234 tottenham crt rd

[David Aherne]

In the 1940s until 1951, my mother and I had a fantastic mock turkey from Shearns every Christmas. They made a wide range of roasts in several sizes which have never been surpassed since. There was a restaurant on each of the three floors, each with its own menu. After Mr. Shearn died, his son, who had no interest in the business,  sold the building  and moved to the South of France. There remained a small florists trading as Shearns in one of the side streets between Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street, possibly Store Street.
I now live in Worthing and I would love to speak with anyone who has any information on Shearns Recipes. 

[judih]

I don't know if you are still interested but I found your post and thought I would reply.My great-aunt Margaret Blatch took over the management of the restaurant in 1922.I have her book - Household fleshless cookery.The foreword to the book mentions the generous help and sympathy given to her byMr and Mrs Shearn.
Regards,Judith