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Hanningtons

Hanningtons, East Street

From a private collection

Walking into the past

By Doreen Mitten

It had been going through my mind recently that I should drop a note to you all about the closure of Hanningtons. It is one of the last "old" haunts in the Brighton of my memories. I always made a trip to Hanningtons as part of each of my return visits to Brighton to take my mother for tea in the tea rooms and use the Ladies Powder Room - the only one I knew left that still had an attendant. It was like walking back into the past. Another part of its quaintness was the old open cage lift and I loved the way all the little departments blended into each other.

I was able to say goodbye to it all last month when I once again made a quick trip to Brighton, unfortunately for the funeral of my dear Mum.

I will be anxiously waiting to see the results of changes to the property and do hope they will be able to retain some part of its history and help to keep our memories alive.

And also the Astoria...
Coincidentally, my mother also worked for several years at the Astoria, in the concession counter, when it was a Bingo Hall. I believe that was in the 70's. It would be nice to see that property in use again and hopefully give the area a cleaner, brighter look than it has had in recent years. My mother, myself and my daughter have happy memories of time spent on the first floor of that same building at the Court School of Dancing as well and both my Mum and my daughter gained many awards for the ballroom dancing they learnt there.

From an e-mail sent to the QueenSpark Books discussion group by Doreen

This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

I miss Hanningtons - there are no high quality department stores in Brighton and Hove and I need to go to London to find a similar shopping experience. Hanningtons was sometimes lacking in 'service ethic' and was old-fashioned - reminded me of the comedy sitcom 'Are You Being Served?' - but it was a great place to potter. Perhaps consumer habits and expectations have changed with time - but I think it's a real shame the building has been chopped into smaller units - and none of the retailer occupants so far seem to sell anything vaguely useful or interesting.

By Lois Ellett (12/09/2003)

I think it's a shame that Brighton has lost that sort of classy edge when it comes to shopping. However, being quite young I don't personally remember ever shopping there and think that redeveloping it in the long term is a good idea.

By Joxena Romain (05/01/2004)

I was so sorry to hear that Hanningtons had finally closed. My father, Wilfred 'Bill' Booker, was a floor manager there during the 60s until his retirement. We lived in Saltdean and one night he didn't come home on his usual bus. When he did arrive home he was on crutches. He had chased someone who had taken the till takings for that day. He caught him and had hurt his ankle. Not bad for a man in his late 60s. When he passed away I often went to the store which seemed to change little over the years, just to remember him being there. I loved the old lift. Also every year I took my children to see Santa there, it was always magical. I now live in Australia, but always visited Hanningtons when I visited Brighton.

By Debra Booker (06/06/2004)

My first job at 15 was in the clothes dept in 1950. I was frendly with a chap there called Peter Goding who worked there from then to when it closed last year. My wife, Anna, worked there and gave me the above info - she was sorry that the store closed.

By Ray Barontini (16/08/2004)

I remember shopping in Hanningtons and I had a Christmas job working in the gift department - I think it would have been perhaps the late 70s. I also took part in an Oral History project run by Brighton Museum in 1984 - they should still have an archive of tapes and transcripts made by people who worked in Hanningtons in the 1930s. The small top windows in the shop used to be where the staff lived - being an assistant was a live-in post at the time. They also had those vacuum tubes which took money from the counters to a central point, from which receipts etc were sent back. If anyone is interested in the oral history project, it was run as part of a Government sponsored work for the unemployed scheme, and was used to create workpacks for schools.

By Jo (21/08/2004)

Brighton is just not the same without Hanningtons. It is dreadful that the town has no good department stores left in it. Hanningtons was really special, a beautiful place to visit. It was to Brighton's shopping what the Royal Pavilion is to the town's tourism. I remember going there with my mum and grandmother to buy all sorts of things.. spending a whole afternoon in the store and having tea in the cafe. The wonderful Edwardian staircase in the East Street building and the stained glass ceiling on part of the first floor and all the little staircases linking the different levels are what i remember fondly. There are now so few stores like Hanningtons left anywhere in the country and I can't understand why they are being allowed to be closed and torn apart when preservation is so in vogue.

By Andrew Jones (21/08/2005)

Does anyone remember Father Christmas' grotto in Hanningtons? I used to take my children there in the 70s and 80s. It was great fun. There was usually something that was supposed to be a lift. You got in and it moved about a bit but didn't actually go anywhere. You were escorted by an elf, who for many years was a friend of mine called Sue (can't remember her surname - but it was long and sort of Polish!). We then got out on the other side of the lift - in Father Christmas' grotto. We then walked through all the pretty displays and at the end met Santa and got a present. We then came out just round the corner from the entrance. My children never seemed to work out that having gone up or down 3 floors on the magic lift or rocket or whatever, we were back in the same place. Children will believe anything if they want to!

By Marilyn Coates (15/12/2005)

I used to work at Hanningtons when I was just 16 or so till I was 19. I worked all over the place as a floater with serveral other people. When someone was off sick then that is where a so called floater went to work for the day. I used to work in the Father Christmas Grotto every year and, oh how I remember the work that went into making it just right for the opening and the children, their faces were a sight to see. It was just like magic in their eyes. I was in the China and Childrens dept a lot too. The old staff room was pretty grotty, up some old stairs. It was the most amazing old building, of which a lot of it was unseen by the public. I remember the staff very well and have often what ever happened to them all. I remember Mike on the Clock dept and Stella in the Pen dept. I used to do staff training, teaching the new staff how to do credit cards on those old machines and how to write out an A/C for someone. Yes it was an amazing place. Nancy Renoyolds was buyer of the ladies underwear - it was all so prim and very proper when I was there. In those days we had to call people Sir and Madam unlike today in stores and I am only 49! I now live in Australia Perth, I have been her for 27 years now, but it only seems like yesterday I was there at Hanningtons. I remember the first person to be murdered in Brighton just across the road form Hanningtons - a German Tourist. It made the front page and headlines on the news as this was a rare thing in Brighton back 30 years ago.

By Caroline Abbott (Perth, Australia) (21/04/2006)

I used to look in the windows at Hannington's in 1950s and admire the quality clothing. I would save my money for the January sales and queue up very early in the bitter cold, to buy material to have a suit or frock made for me by a clever great aunt. They were known as a very up market store and I remember the lift and the lovely wooden counters and it had quite an air of elegance about it.

By Jennifer Goddard (nee Norrell) (05/02/2007)

I worked in Hanningtons china and glass department from 1966 - 1967. It is a great pity that it has now closed.

By Valerie Rudwick (06/06/2007)

I used to work in Hanningtons in the early seventies on the hosiery dept for Pretty Polly. I have wonderful memories of being there. I met several famous people - the actress who played Minnie Caldwell, Leo Sayer, Adam Faith, and I have the autograph of Charlie Watts on a Hanningtons docket. Its very sad it has closed, but your memories will stay.

By Maureen Scott (21/11/2007)

I worked at Hanningtons back in 2000. I was the third generation of my family to get employment there, after my mum and grandfather. It was a pleasure to be part of such a historic business. I worked in the stockroom and delivered material to the perfumery and Carvela shoes department up the front. I loved the underground stockrooms and secret passageways, even such a short while ago they were not blocked off and you could walk into them for quite a long way. One lead to the Druid's head and another to the Pavilion. Rumours persisted that they were haunted too. Anyway, just wanted to share my story of an interesting building which was part of Brighton's landscape, sadly no more. We will not see it's kind again.

By Paul (26/01/2008)

No Hanningtons - very sad to hear that. I worked in the Linen dept, around 1973-5, with a Mr Fish and Mrs Kieko. Very fond memories. Sign of the times I suppose.

By Trish Dutt (29/01/2008)

I recall Hanningtons, l worked there for many years on the jewellery and handbags department for Mrs Steer and Gloria; l also remember a German lady in that department but cannot recall her name. I floated as well, we worked on commission as well as a wage then; it was £20-00 per week. I was then in my 20s, many years ago now. Mrs Beard was the personnel officer then, a very well dressed lady. A few years later l worked on the switchboard for Mr Wadey, he was a kind and gentle man. l loved it, l enjoyed working the switchboard so much that it helped get me a job for BT as a operator. My mum also worked for Vokins up the road, also sadly no longer there.

By Chris withers (nee Phillips) (29/09/2008)

I have very fond memories of Hanningtons. Apart from stocking up with their Royal Doulton china, they had a wonderful make up and perfume department. My husband, not a well man at the time, made the journey into Brighton to purchase for me some of my favourite Joy perfume, now sadly discontinued, for my birthday. It was the only store apart from Harrods that stocked this perfume. He made the purchase and the sales lady realised he was not too well and booked him a taxi and escorted him to the taxi to make sure he got home safely. I will always remember that act of kindness together with the excitement of opening up the gift wrapped present and finding a bottle of Joy! A store greatly missed.

By Jillian (30/12/2008)

I had a grandmother who was brought up in Brighton - Kitty Mitten. She was one of nine children I think. Are we related, Doreen?

By Sara Sheridan (06/01/2009)