Lazy Church Street Days
Twenty past three on a warm summer day in pre-Great War Liverpool, when a seat in the gardens of old St Peter’s Church, in Church Street, makes an ideal spot for a snooze beneath one’s boater...
This is the era (circa 1910) which saw the introduction of the first Woolworths store in Britain, after Frank Winfield Woolworth, of the famous American “Five and Ten” cents stores, had weighed up trade possibilities over her.
Having given the city the “once over” Frank declared: “I think a good penny and sixpenny store, run by a live Yankee, would create a sensation here – but perhaps not.”
His store did create a sensation and he opened it on November 6, 1909, right opposite this church at 25 and 25a Church Street.
The chimney topped gable end of the store can be seen half way up the left hand side of the church tower and signed “Woolworth’s 3d and 6d Stores”.
Goods on sale include jewellery, sweets, stationery, toys, haberdashery, toiletry, pictures, hardware, drapery, postcards, crockery, china, woodware, brushes, soap, cutlery, shoe polish, novelties and fancy goods.
This store, formerly occupied by Henry Miles and Company, and the forerunner of more than 1,000 in this country, was opened to the public “for inspection” from 2.00 pm to 9.00 pm on Guy Fawkes Day, November 5, but no goods were sold.
There were palm-tree decorations and two orchestras – one playing in the morning and the other in the afternoon – with free cups of tea for the visitors.
Frank Woolworth was clean shaven when he stepped off the liner at Liverpool for the first time, but seeing how many men sported moustaches in those days, he followed suit – only growing a moustache on his visits to Britain! His staff called him “Uncle Sam”.
Requiring larger premises, he took over the site formerly occupied by St Peter’s Church, the pro Cathedral, consecrated in 1704 and demolished in 1922. The transfer took place on March 10, 1923.
Five years later the sales area was extended to include the basement and in 1935, a cafe was opened on the first floor.
Now, sixty years on when “Woollies” should be celebrating its present Church Street store’s diamond jubilee – and the city “institution” which this became – it will shortly cease to operate.
This shows St Peter’s Church which dominated Church Street in the City Centre until the building fell to the demolition men in the early 1920s.
The site was reputed to be the dearest piece of land outside London when it was sold for development. Woolworth’s, C and A and Burton’s stores were built on the site.
In face, a Cross on the pavement outside the now former Woolworth store marks the spot where the altar of St Peter’s Church once stood.
