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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => London and Middlesex => Topic started by: hatofthecat on Monday 02 September 13 13:45 BST (UK)
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Does anyone have a good source for images and history of this department store ?
My 2 x great grand aunt seems to have worked there for 30+ years from 1890s - 1920s as an assistant in the lace department and lived in the rooms for single staff on top floor all that time... :o she died a spinster.
Pete
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Hi Pete
Here's a photo of a female shop worker vacuuming the carpet in the store, in 1910:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0vza/
If you Google "Frederick Gorringe Limited" all sorts of bits and pieces come up, including photos of the outside of the store, old invoices, adverts, etc.
Here's a short description:
http://cosgb.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/frederick-gorringe.html
KR
Gaie
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Thanks Gaie had those already. I am rather hoping for an early photo of the outside of the store as I've only found that drawing.
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I vaguely remember the store from the 60's. Not exactly what you wanted but here is his grave.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=36590452
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I used to work in the lovely department store of Gorringe's until it closed down, so sad a store like that closing down... it wasnt owned by the family then, but Mr Goldberg was the Director, he used to hire trains to come to Victoria Station from Brighton, his idea to bring more customers to the store, but think the majority of 'customers' went up to Oxford St instead... I loved working in London department stores, next Harrods, then Bourne & Hollingsworth, wasnt happy at Harrods, too big a store for me! Gorringes was just a good size, we had to wear a uniform, from memory a green coloured skirt and twinset to match with a blouse, white with green stripes... we all were happy working there. I was in girls schoolwear, a specialist department that finally got me a free ticket to Wellington. NZ. Would love to learn more about the Finder and his history.
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Thanks for your insights Adele Pentony-Graham. I had never realised there were the number & variety of department stores that there were until I started looking into it.
Was there still the top floor of staff accommodation in your time there ? I wonder whether my 2x great grand aunt acted as some sort of "house mother" to the single young staff with her being there so long ?? She retired sometime in late 1910's or early 1920's and lived to a very ripe old age in Worthing, so not that far from those Brighton trains !
Pete
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when i joined the staff, the store was being rebuilt, so no staff quarters upstairs, check out with Westminster Archives on it, I know another store that I went to be with had staff quarters in Goodge St.. that was Bourne & Hollingsworth St.. as had a friend living in, her home was Bridgewater, Somerset.. Another fond memory of Gorringes, they used to have a lot of the guardsmen from the local Barracks working there.. lovely working in Buckingham Palace Road as every morning the Guards would march to the Palace and Band Playing, often we would request a certain tune to play on passing the store! especially around Birthday times!!!
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If you send me your aunts name I will have a look as I have a staff record book of staff employed which goes from 1873 to 1877. It gives the Job they done dates left, next of kin, prev employs but must warn u some entries are miss but willing to look
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Thanks FIFI, have sent you a private message with her details 8)
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Adele,
Thank you so much for your reminiscences - I found out this evening from my mum that my great-aunt, Hilda Ferdinando, worked at Gorringe's in the 40s. I love the details of the uniform.
Teresa
I used to work in the lovely department store of Gorringe's until it closed down, so sad a store like that closing down... it wasnt owned by the family then, but Mr Goldberg was the Director, he used to hire trains to come to Victoria Station from Brighton, his idea to bring more customers to the store, but think the majority of 'customers' went up to Oxford St instead... I loved working in London department stores, next Harrods, then Bourne & Hollingsworth, wasnt happy at Harrods, too big a store for me! Gorringes was just a good size, we had to wear a uniform, from memory a green coloured skirt and twinset to match with a blouse, white with green stripes... we all were happy working there. I was in girls schoolwear, a specialist department that finally got me a free ticket to Wellington. NZ. Would love to learn more about the Finder and his history.
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Hi Adele
I was very interested to hear your memories of Gorringes department store in the 1960s. I am researching my family history and I believe there was a connection with Gorringes. I am trying to find out as much as I can about the store and, in particular, the director, Leslie Louis Goldberg. Are you able to help me please? Do you know if he had two sons, Jeffrey and Melvin, and a wife called Rebecca? And do you know when he joined Gorringes? I visited Westminster Archives but all they had were the royal warrants he received from the Queen and Queen Mother in 1963. Sadly they had no photos of him. Any information regarding Leslie and his family would be much appreciated.
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Hi Fifi,
Hope you don't regret posting that you have a staff book on the post about Frederick Gorringe ...
I have ancestors who were in the 'drapery business' who I believe were brother-in-law and nephew to Frederick Gorringe. Originating from Dorset, I don't know if they worked for Gorringes but somewhere Charles must have gained experience as a tailor, so I have been wondering if Gorringes might be the connection...
I am researching into my great grandfather's brother, a Charles Pennington Poynter, born 1853 in Weymouth, son of a James Hare Poynter, draper. James married Emily Gorringe, a milliner, in Islington in 1852, who I believe was Frederick Gorringe's sister. From census information they had moved to London by 1861, James's occupation a Commission Agent. In 1871, Charles was listed as a Commission Agent's assistant, in 1881 an Agent in the Wool trade. Around this time, Charles was employed by John Redfern, a draper/tailor in Cowes, Isle of Wight (for his tailoring expertise) and went on to establish and run a branch of Redferns in Paris! (I had no trace of Charles after the 1881 census until I stumbled across some of his drawings/fashion designs being listed on a Paris auction site a couple of years ago, which led me to find out about what had happened to him.)
As these dates fit with when Frederick Gorringe was expanding his business on Buckingham Palace Road, I would be really interested in finding out if either(or any other Poynters) were employed at Gorringes, when they moved up to London. Other names of interest include Eliza Chamberlain , a dressmaker. If you are able to check your staff book for any of these names, I would really appreciate it.
Many thanks
Lucy A
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Appreciate this thread is over two years old but hopefully this will be of interest.
During lockdown I have been trying to find out the origins of a book that has been in my family for over 100 years. I have deciphered that it was presented to my Great-Great-Grandfather's brother who worked as a draper at Gorringes.
It is a very large and grand book, presented to him on his 50th birthday. There are pages of names and an introduction page which says happy birthday and we all think very highly of you. This was towards the end of 1890.
I am trying to find out more information about him as the rest of his family was in Scotland. His grave is in London and there is a mention of him dying in London on a family grave stone in Scotland.
If anyone has any information on Gorringes up to pre-1900s then I would be happy to hear from you. Likewise I am happy to check if a relative's name is in this book.
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Hey, that’s good timing, I was looking back at George Vincent Grummett who was a drapers assistant living at 49 to 59 Buckingham Palace Road in 1891 along with lots of others. Could you possibly check to see if he gets a mention in the names listed in the book please?
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Hey, that’s good timing, I was looking back at George Vincent Grummett who was a drapers assistant living at 49 to 59 Buckingham Palace Road in 1891 along with lots of others. Could you possibly check to see if he gets a mention in the names listed in the book please?
Thanks for getting in touch - yes George Grummett is on the last page.
There are about 230 names in the book.
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Hey, that’s good timing, I was looking back at George Vincent Grummett who was a drapers assistant living at 49 to 59 Buckingham Palace Road in 1891 along with lots of others. Could you possibly check to see if he gets a mention in the names listed in the book please?
Thanks for getting in touch - yes George Grummett is on the last page.
There are about 230 names in the book.
Hey, thank you. That’s really helpful and good to know.
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happy to check if a relative's name is in this book.
I just spotted this. Can you check if my 3x great aunt Caroline Norris is in the book, she was definitely working there at that time.
thanks in advance
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Hello - sorry for the late reply.
Yes she is on the third page - she is listed as Carrie Norris.
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"Yes she is on the third page - she is listed as Carrie Norris."
Thank you montereyjack, that's great 8) I've never seen my 2x great grand aunt recorded as Carrie before so its a lost snippet of her life as now I know what name she actually used. Caroline started at Gorringes in 1875 and didn't retire until mid 1930s when she was in her 70s. For most of that time she lived in staff accommodation at the top of building which was otherwise occupied by young single staff so I assume she acted as some sort of "house mother" to the youngsters. She was one of three spinster sisters or "the maiden aunts" as my father called them, he told me once they'd turn up to any family event... no invite required ;D
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I have just found 2 of my cousins, Annie Godsmark Heath (1861-1939) and her sister Sarah Gould Heath (1863-1936) who I believe were working for Frederick Gorringe.
They were both Drapers Assistants, and Annie was living at 51-59 Buckingham Palace Road at the 1881 census.
They also both ended up living together at 57 Drapers Cottage Homes, Hammers Lane, Hendon until their deaths. These are now run by the Retail Trust, but the homes were built to assist retired people from the Drapery trade with a minimum of 15 years service.
Would be interested to know if both their names were in your book.
Thanks
Val
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Hi - the only Heath in the book is a Clara Heath. The book was made at the end of 1890.
I have since discovered that my relative was a partner in the business. This would explain why the staff gave him the book for his 50th birthday and why he retained use of one of the flats above the shop even after his retirement.
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How interesting for you.
Thanks for looking for my 2, but they weren't working there in 1890 so they wouldn't have been in the book.
Good luck with your research.
Val
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Hi I've recently discovered a relation worked here and is listed as a Drapers Assistant on the 1891 census. Her name was Amy Eliza Copestick. I'm guessing she worked up until the late 1890s when she married. So lovely to read your stories as I had never heard of it until now x