Whether it be nationwide chains including British Home Stores or Woolworths, or those names that are synonymous with the town such as Clements and Trewins, there are a host of shops in Watford that are no longer with us that hold fond memories.
Shops have again be making our headlines following the renaming of the town’s shopping centre and following this we asked members of our nostalgia Facebook group ‘We grew up in Watford’ which shops in the town they missed and why.
This prompted a host of replies featuring a range of shops, from the bigger brands to the smaller or more specialist retailers that bring back memories for all sorts of reasons.
Danielle Woodley said: “Woolworths. Everything under one roof.”
Jenny Shrimpton added: “I also missed Woolworths and more recently really missed British Home Stores.”
Woolworths holds fond memories for so many people
Toys and model shops were always likely to be popular and so it proved.
Quincy Gordon responded: “Beatties! Lusting after toys I couldn't afford lol!”
Looking across Charter Place to Mary Rose toy shop
Amanda Dunning said: “Mary Rose’s toy shop, a wonderful place to go and spend your birthday money,” while Adam Segal replied: “Our Price Records. Loved going there on the weekends.
Our Price records in 1984. Credit: Simon Tillett
"Also in the old Watford market there was a stall selling the latest computer games for the Commodore 64 and ZX spectrum. The bloke was brilliant and always gave me good deals.”
Grant Benson wrote: “I feel I should mention something trendy like Past & Present Records but, if truth be told, in reality it's Clements!”
Blue Cross sale day at Clements
Another person who has fond memories of the department store is Karen Gray. She said: “I used to go in shopping with mum and when I left school I worked there for a few years and my husband joined me to work there too. I worked on cosmetics, then fashion and he was a driver.
“A fantastic family firm, training was top class, customers were sir or madam and treated with respect. I loved it.”
Rose Morgan said: “Loved Clements and Cawdells, Palmers Ladies dress shop, C and H fabrics, Martin Fords, oh and the original market. I miss them all.”
C&A was a popular choice among readers
Readers including Janet Wilson, Kim Garwood and Roger Morse miss C&A, as does Nickola Brighton. She wrote: “I liked C&A, the Mary Rose toyshop and of course Woolworths and BHS which were the best for Christmas shopping. The Clements uniform department was like travelling back in time via a lift. I also miss TJ Hughes and when Waterstones was a big book shop, but what I miss most is the market.”
The top floor entrance to British Home Stores
Penelope Mason reflected: “Growing up in the sixties I miss Cawdells. I used to walk down the side of Cawdells and Midland Bank (as it was then) to a proper market. Martin Fords, I was a Saturday girl there but most of all Woolworths which was my first Saturday job and the fresh warm bag of peanuts you could buy.
The final days of Cawdells
“I moved to Germany with the forces in 1973 and when we got back Watford had changed completely because the Harlequin had been built with the ring road and so many shops and even a night club had gone, but we still had Trewins which would bring me back to Watford to shop but that's gone too!”
The old Trewin Brothers store before the construction of the Harlequin. Credit: David Callinicos
If you have pictures and memories of Watford you'd like to share, ask to join 'We grew up in Watford' via this link.
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