Wine Street Summary

The name was taken from a corruption of the word 'wynch' (today's spelling is 'winch'), which operated a pillory situated in the middle of the thoroughfare (opposite Fithay) until its removal in 1887. The roadway was narrow at the Dutch House and gradually widened towards the Union Street junction.

Wine Street was the city's major shopping area in the 1930)s, being England's second most valuable shopping street based on rateable value (London's Regent Street was more valuable). With its large stores, cafes, restaurants, jewellers, clothes shops and furniture stores it had more atmosphere in one yard than today's Broadmead has in its entirety. To emphasise its importance, both Baker, Baker and Jones Department Stores advertised the fact that they were formerly in Wine Street when, post-war, they moved to new premises in College Green and Broadmead respectively.

Cheesemarket was a narrow street from Wine Street to Mary-le-Port Street, its name being taken from an actual cheese market which existed from 1787-1885 in a nearby building which was absorbed in the course of various business extensions.

All the buildings, except No.1, were destroyed following the blitz of 24 November 1940. The roadway was reopened to traffic in March 1941 and widened in 1956 when offices were built on the north side — Prudential Buildings in 1957, followed by Aylward House in 1960. Development of the south side came later, the Bank of England premises opening in 1963.

Wine Street remains an important thoroughfare today, with retail businesses gradually returning. The site of the Bank of England (today vacant) is due for redevelopment soon and hopefully this will incorporate more retail businesses.

Wine Street

1 Salmon & Gluckstein Ltd. - Tobacconist

Salmon & Gluckstein Ltd traded from these premises from 1908. Prior to the blitz, there was a large 'Players Please' neon sign on the upper floor of the building — this remained until 1961. This was the only building in Wine Street to survive the war and still exists today, being occupied by an employment agency. Upper floors: E. &A. Holford, Tailors - City Toilet Club (Mrs M. Garland), - Gent's Hairdressers.

2 H. Samuel Ltd. - Jewellers

3 W. Barratt & Co. Ltd. - Boot and Shoe Retailers

4 Pleasance & Harper Ltd. - Goldsmiths

This company was established in March 1879 at these premises by Mr J.G. Harper and Mr C.R. Pleasance. Mr Pleasance died in 1895, leaving Mr Harper entire control and eventually his three sons became involved in the business. The business became a limited company in 1919. In 1932 the familiar 'Father Time' sign was added above the shopfront and in 1938 the premises were completely modernised. The building was destroyed by the blitz of November 1940, following which temporary premises were used, first in Broad Street then Queens Road, until a permanent home at 2 Clare Street was found in June 1956, the company trading here well into the 1990s.

5 J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. - Refreshment Rooms

These premises were previously occupied by Stuckeys Restaurant up to the early 1930s. Lyons Tea Shops (there was also one in Castle Street) are fondly remembered, the waitresses being known as 'Nippies'.

6 Etam Ltd. Ladies' - Hosiers

Upper floors: Vickery, Kyrle & Co., Printers - Maison Holly man, Ladies' Hairdressers (also occupied upper floor of No. 1)

7 Orient Jewel Co. - Jewellers

9-10 Boots the Chemists

This building was built about 1915 and was named Southey House (9 Wine Street was the birthplace of the Poet Laureate Robert Southey on 12 August 1774), having a bas-relief of Southey on the front of the building by the 1930s each floor of the building was occupied by Boots as follows: Ground Floor Toiletries, surgical goods, chemist, silverware department, suitcases, handbags, dispensary, manager's office find staff restroom. First Floor Stationery, artists' equipment and Booklovers Library with reacting room.

This library service was started hy Boots in 1899 and was a rival to public libraries, the books having the distinctive Boots shield on the cover. Subscriptions increased during the war and the increase in the paperback market caused both Boots and W.H. Smith to close their libraries, Boots' library closing in 1966.

Second Floor Cafe with three-piece band (bass, piano and violin). Third Floor

Kitchen for the cafe. - These premises were completely destroyed by the blitz of 24 November 1940 - the day after the blitz the company's safe was opened and, while the safe had survived the blitz, the cash contents had melted into a ball!

11-12 Sands. - Milliners

This building was occupied by Hodders, Chemists until the late 1930s, when they moved to nearby premises in High Street.

14 Cadena Cafes Ltd - Cafe-Restaurant

Very smart premises with large revolving doors at the Wine Street entrance, there was also an entrance to the coffee shop via The Pithay. Cadena Cafes Ltd also owned The Berkeley, opposite the University, at the top of Park Street.

image above left: top: Looking along Wine Street with the Dutch House (on the corner of High Street) on the right. (1931)

image above bottom: The north side of Wine Street, showing 4-22. (1937)

30 Bell & Co. (Kingston) Ltd - Blouse Specialists

31 Manfield & Sons Ltd - Boot and Shoe Retailers

32 F.J. Batchelor Ltd - Mantle Warehouse, Ladies' Clothes

33 J. & M. Stone

Wireless Supplies (Proprietor: Max Stone Ltd) After the war the business had several shops in Bristol, one near the corner of Lower Castle Street and Old Market Street. The manager was John James, the well-known Bristol philanthropist — he liked the company so much he bought it!

34-35 James Broderick & Co. Ltd - House Furnishers

36-37 Montague Burton Ltd - Tailors

38-41 Dolcis Shoe Co. - Shoe Retailers

42-43 Cavendish Furniture Co. Ltd. - House Furnishers

These premises extended through to 21-22 Mary-le-Port Street, where there was also an entrance.

44 Dolores - Ladies' Hosiers Deluxe hosiery and lingerie.

45-46 Home Bros Ltd - Outfitters

In 1939 Home Bros had fifteen branches in London and nine in the provinces, one of which was in Bristol. The company advertised in 1939 as being 'Juvenile Outfitters'. These premises were occupied by Home Bros in 1936, the previous occupants being the well-known clothiers and outfitters 'The Don', which was established in 1877.

47-48 Swears & Wells Ltd. - Furriers

This company were to occupy the first shop to be rebuilt in Broadmead after the war (bottom of Union Street, opposite the Odeon Cinema), opened in 1952.

49-55 Baker, Baker & Co. Ltd

(See Below)

56-65 Jones & Co. Ltd

(See Below)

66 T.C. Palmer Ltd. - Tailors

This company was established in I860 and the manager at the time of the blitz was Sammy Case, who also had a business in the name of Case & Edwards Ltd, Tailors at 30 Bridge Street.

Baker, Baker & Co. Ltd

In the 1840s the brothers William Mills Baker and Thomas Baker came to Bristol to seek their fortune. Their father was a farmer from near Bridgwater who had been forced into bankruptcy, the fate of many small farmers at that time. They joined the firm of Culverwell Son & Co., who were wholesale and retail drapers operating from premises in Wine Street and Bridge Street.

By 1860 the two brothers had become partners and, a few years later, the name of the firm changed to Ramsdale, Baker & Baker. In 1883 the Bakers were in control of the business (Hiatt and Herbert Baker had now joined the partnership) and in March 1884 the name of the firm was, for the first time, Baker, Baker & Co. Other members of the Baker family had gone to South Africa to set up a wholesale and retail drapery and maintained very close relations with the Bristol firm, but they ceased trading in 1890 when they lost £70,000 (a vast sum in those days) in gold share speculation.

In 1922 the firm became a limited company, the directors being Hiatt Baker (chairman), Herbert Baker, Harry Lindsay and Robert Grover. Hiatt Baker died in 1934 and was replaced as director by two other members of the Baker family - Douglas and Ainslie Baker. The firm traded well until the outbreak of war when the Wine Street and Bridge Street premises were destroyed following the blitz on 24 November 1940.

To get the firm back on its feet after the blitz, the wholesale business (see later for retail) continued from 1-8 Charlotte Street (off Park Street), houses owned by the firm which, before the war, were used as accommodation by female staff. To chairman William Fripp fell the thankless task of steering the business through endless government controls and regulations to re-organise the business in quite unsuitable premises until an alternative building was available. William Fripp died in 1950 and Douglas Baker became chairman (he had been on active service).

A site was found for new premises and on 12 July 1957 the foundation stone was laid by Mrs Hiatt Baker (widow of the first chairman) at 40 St Thomas Street. An official ceremony was held with a celebration lunch at the Royal Hotel, College Green. The four-storey building opened for business on 1 January 1959. The houses at Charlotte Street returned to their original use (but converted to thirty private flats), preserving the attractive Regency appearance of the original facades.

In 1963 Baker, Baker & Co. Ltd was sold to the Bell Nicholson & Lunt Group and in 1966 this group was taken over by Courtaulds (during both of these changes the trading name of Baker, Baker was still used). As a result of Courtaulds' policy of closing many of its wholesale outlets there was a management buyout on 1 April 1982, when the company was called Baker, Baker & Co. Ltd (chairman John Baker). Because of increasing costs at the St Thomas Street premises, in September 1982 the company moved to premises at Unit 7, St Vincent's Trading Estate on Feeder Road — the staff of eighty completing the move themselves.

Towards the end of 1990 the company moved to smaller premises in Feeder Road, but they eventually went into receivership and closed in February 1991. The company assets were auctioned, including £225,000 stock being sold for £25,000! At the time of the closure the chairman was John Baker, so from beginning to end, the Baker family had some degree of control over the business.

With regards to the retail side of the business, after the blitz it continued from premises in College Green (next to the Lord Mayor's Chapel) and the name above the door was 'Baker, Baker and Co. Ltd from Wine Street'.

This changed to just 'Baker, Baker & Co. Ltd' in 1960 as it was felt that the association with Wine Street was outdated. When Courtaulds took over the business in 1966 the shop's trading name became Mcllroys (this was the name of all Courtaulds shops), unlike the wholesale business, which was still allowed to trade as Baker, Baker.

From the very outset the business traded from premises in Wine Street and Bridge Street (both backed on to Mary-le-Port Street) — the retail business operating from Wine Street and the wholesale from Bridge Street. The Wine Street premises were rebuilt in 1881 (designed by Samuel Charles Fripp) and in 1909 the frontage was modernised with continuous windows behind free-standing pillars. In 1928 a covered footbridge was built over Mary-le-Port Street to connect the two buildings at top floor level.

There was also a subway under the same street, as well as one under Cheesemarket, to small premises (for the sale of cycles and also a carpentry workshop) at the back of Bendalls. The staff entrance was in Cheesemarket. By the 1930s there was a strict dress code applicable to staff in the Wine Street premises — female staff wore black dresses and black stockings and were not allowed to wear jewellery; floorwalkers wore black jackets and pinstripe-trousers.

Jones & Co.

Thomas Jones (originally a draper from Pembrokeshire) commenced his business career in partnership with a colleague in Boston, Lincolnshire. He then decided to operate on his own and in 1843 acquired premises at 56 Wine Street. In order to become established, he sold anything, gaining publicity from unusual window displays (e.g. a live Welsh pony, or silks and satins in the same display as bacon, cheese, beer and tobacco).

By 1865 the company had acquired premises at 56-63 Wine Street and in 1880 the Guard House Passage (which stood between Nos 55 and 56 Wine Street) was closed as Jones & Co. expanded.

In 1927 the company tried to purchase the Dutch House but failed, so they embarked on a redevelopment programme. By 1939 the company occupied the site often shops in Wine Street, three in High Street and three in Mary-le-Port Street.

On the top floor of one of the shops fronting Wine Street was a restaurant, run by a Mr Edwards, with a three-piece band (the band was necessary as competition for the cafe in Boots on the opposite side of Wine Street, which also had a band).

Jones & Co. acquired the premises at 3 High Street which, at the time, were occupied by the Great Western Railway. Following acquisition and modernisation, GWK maintained an office on the ground floor, where Jones operated a carpet department.

The redevelopment of the entire site was Hearing completion (including an arcade running behind the Dutch House which connected the Wine Street and High Street shops) when it was totally destroyed following an enemy air raid on Sunday 24 November 1940.

The company traded in various premises around Bristol including a branch at Kingswood after the war until 1957 when they became the first major department store in Broadmead. In 1972 they were taken over by Debenhams.

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