Peter Robinson (department store): Difference between revisions

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Peter Robinson was a chain of department stores with its flagship store being situated at Oxford Circus, London. Founded in 1833 as a drapery, Robinson bought up nearby shops on Oxford Street to create a department store. The Topshop chain debuted in 1964 as a section in a Peter Robinson branch. The shop building in Oxford Circus was completed in 1912 and is Grade II listed.

History

Peter Robinson (1804–1874), a Yorkshireman, opened a linen drapery shop at 103 Oxford Street in 1833. By 1840, he had opened a Court & General Mourning House store at 247–249 Regent Street,^[1] which became known as "Black Peter Robinsons". They always had a brougham, harnessed with a coachman dressed in black and lady fitters sat inside, ready to hurry off to the home of a newly bereaved widow.^[2] He increased his store space in Oxford Street by buying up nearby shops, so by 1850 he was able to create a department store which was known for selling fashionable ladies clothes and accessories.^[3]

In 1865 he expanded further into Regent Street, buying Hodge and Lowman Linen drapers, which occupied 252–262 Regents Street.^[4]

During the 1850s, John Lewis, later the founder of a rival department store, worked for Peter Robinson, initially as a drapery assistant, but worked his way up to being the youngest silk buyer in London. In 1864 he was offered a partnership in the business, but declined; instead, he opened his own drapery on Oxford Street.^[5]^[6] Peter Robinson, the founder is buried in a family grave at Highgate Cemetery. Robinson died in 1895 leaving the large sum of £ 1,119,660 in his will. (worth £ 113.5 million in 2022)^[7]

The current building at Oxford Circus was designed by architect Henry Tanner Junior.^[8] Being completed in 1912, it is Grade II listed.^[9] The building was substantially extended in 1923.^[10]

The business grew into a small chain of department stores and in 1946, Burton's (which became the Arcadia Group) took over the chain.^[11] The business continued to expand, with new stores opening across the United Kingdom, including Lime Street in Liverpool. Anglia Television televised the opening in 1961 of the Peter Robinson Store in Norwich (later a Topshop).^[12] At the height of the business Peter Robinson had 39 stores.

In 1964, to try to attract the younger buyer, Peter Robinson's Topshop was opened on the third floor of the Sheffield store (located in Angel Street).^[13] In 1965, the basement of the Oxford Circus store was converted to be a Peter Robinson Topshop.

In 1970, George Martin's Associated Independent Recording company opened the first AIR Studios recording complex on the top floor of the Oxford Circus building, where it remained in operation until 1992.^[14]^[15]

In 1974, Burton's Group, the parent company decided that Peter Robinson and Topshop should be separated, with Peter Robinson aiming for the over 25s. The number of stores was reduced from 22 to six.^[16] By the end of the 1970s the Peter Robinson brand had all but disappeared.^[11]

References

^ "Rare pair of 'Black Peter Robinson' gentleman's shoes, mid 19th Century". Poppies Cottage. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014.
^ Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher (1983). The London Encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-57688-8.
^ "Peter Robinson". Retrieved 3 November 2014.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Draft Publication, Bartlett School, UCL Chapter 12, Oxford Circus, page 23, database google, citing hodge and lowman regent street, accessed 17 June 2021.
^ "Department Stores". Exploring 20th Century London. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015.
^ Shelina Begum (29 July 2014). "From Drapers Apprentice to Global Empire Builder". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
^ West London Observer 23/11/1895, page 5
^ "Chapter 12 Oxford Circus, Survey of London, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL" (PDF). Retrieved 23 November 2020.
^ "New Markets, English Heritage website". Retrieved 3 November 2014.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Getty Images". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ ^a ^b Ava Szajna-Hopgood (13 June 2019). "Arcadia: What went wrong?". Retail Gazette (blog).
^ "About Anglia: Peter Robinson Dept Store Official Opening". East Anglia Film Archive. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
^ "Topshop: A history. A look behind the highstreet brand". Lippy. 26 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014.
^ Womack, Kenneth (2018). Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin (The Later Years, 1966–2016). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 369. ISBN 978-0-91277-774-0.
^ Bieger, Hannes (June 2015). "Studio File: AIR Lyndhurst, London". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
^ Giada Graziano (18 December 2015). "Topshop Story and Business". Glam Observer.

51°30′55.95″N 0°8′30.12″W / 51.5155417°N 0.1417000°W / 51.5155417; -0.1417000

[1] "Rare pair of 'Black Peter Robinson' gentleman's shoes, mid 19th Century". Poppies Cottage. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014.

[2] Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher (1983). The London Encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-57688-8.

[3] "Peter Robinson". Retrieved 3 November 2014.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[4] Draft Publication, Bartlett School, UCL Chapter 12, Oxford Circus, page 23, database google, citing hodge and lowman regent street, accessed 17 June 2021.

[5] "Department Stores". Exploring 20th Century London. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015.

[6] Shelina Begum (29 July 2014). "From Drapers Apprentice to Global Empire Builder". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 February 2020.

[7] West London Observer 23/11/1895, page 5

[8] "Chapter 12 Oxford Circus, Survey of London, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL" (PDF). Retrieved 23 November 2020.

[9] "New Markets, English Heritage website". Retrieved 3 November 2014.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[10] "Getty Images". Retrieved 3 November 2014.

[blog-11] Ava Szajna-Hopgood (13 June 2019). "Arcadia: What went wrong?". Retail Gazette (blog).

[12] "About Anglia: Peter Robinson Dept Store Official Opening". East Anglia Film Archive. Retrieved 11 February 2020.

[13] "Topshop: A history. A look behind the highstreet brand". Lippy. 26 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014.

[14] Womack, Kenneth (2018). Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin (The Later Years, 1966–2016). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 369. ISBN 978-0-91277-774-0.

[SOSJune2015-15] Bieger, Hannes (June 2015). "Studio File: AIR Lyndhurst, London". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 9 July 2024.

[16] Giada Graziano (18 December 2015). "Topshop Story and Business". Glam Observer.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Former department store chain}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
 {{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
-'''Peter Robinson''' was a chain of department stores with its flagship store being situated at [[Oxford Circus]], [[London]].
+[[File:The damaged Peter Robinson department store at Oxford Circus, following a German air raid on London, September 1940. D1096.jpg|thumb|The flagship store at Oxford Circus, having suffered bomb damage in September 1940]]
+[[File:Family grave of Peter Robinson.jpg|thumb|Family grave of Peter Robinson in Highgate Cemetery (west)]]
+'''Peter Robinson''' was a chain of department stores with its flagship store being situated at [[Oxford Circus]], [[London]]. Founded in 1833 as a drapery, Robinson bought up nearby shops on Oxford Street to create a department store. The [[Topshop]] chain debuted in 1964 as a section in a Peter Robinson branch. The shop building in Oxford Circus was completed in 1912 and is [[Grade II listed]].
 ==History==
-Peter Robinson opened a drapery on Oxford Street in 1833. By 1840, he had opened a mourning store at 250-264 Regent Street,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poppiescottage.com/products-page/the-shoe-boot-department/rare-pair-of-black-peter-robinson-gentlemans-shoes-mid-19th-century|title=These Pair of Black Peter Robinson Gentlemans Shoes Mid 19th Century, Poppies Cottage website|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref> and increased his store space in Oxford Street by buying up nearby shops, so by 1850 he was able to create a department store which was known for selling fashionable ladies clothes and accessories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cogsb.blogspot.co.uk/2010-11/peter-robinson.html|title=Peter Robinson|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref>
+Peter Robinson (1804–1874), a [[Yorkshireman]], opened a [[draper|linen drapery shop]] at 103 [[Oxford Street]] in 1833. By 1840, he had opened a ''Court & General Mourning House'' store at 247–249 Regent Street,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poppiescottage.com/products-page/the-shoe-boot-department/rare-pair-of-black-peter-robinson-gentlemans-shoes-mid-19th-century |title=Rare pair of 'Black Peter Robinson' gentleman's shoes, mid 19th Century |website=Poppies Cottage |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103154411/http://www.poppiescottage.com/products-page/the-shoe-boot-department/rare-pair-of-black-peter-robinson-gentlemans-shoes-mid-19th-century |archivedate=3 November 2014 }}</ref> which became known as "Black Peter Robinsons". They always had a [[Brougham (carriage)|brougham]], harnessed with a coachman dressed in black and lady fitters sat inside, ready to hurry off to the home of a newly bereaved widow.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weinreb |first1=Ben |last2=Hibbert |first2=Christopher |title=The London Encyclopaedia |publisher=Macmillan | date= 1983 |location=London |isbn=0-333-57688-8}}</ref> He increased his store space in Oxford Street by buying up nearby shops, so by 1850 he was able to create a department store which was known for selling fashionable ladies clothes and accessories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cogsb.blogspot.co.uk/2010-11/peter-robinson.html|title=Peter Robinson|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
+In 1865 he expanded further into Regent Street, buying Hodge and Lowman Linen drapers, which occupied 252–262 Regents Street.<ref> Draft Publication, Bartlett School, UCL [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/architecture/sites/bartlett/files/sol_oxfordst_chapter12.pdf Chapter 12, Oxford Circus], page 23, database google, citing hodge and lowman regent street, accessed 17 June 2021.</ref>
-During the 1850s [[John Lewis (department store)|John Lewis]], the famous store founder worked for Peter Robinson,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/department stores|title=Explore 20th Century London|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref> initially as a drapery assistant, but worked his way up to being the youngest silk buyer in London. In 1864 he was offered a partnership in the business, but declined to open his own drapery on Oxford Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/john-lewis-founder-famous-7521434|title=From Drapers Apprentice to Global Empire Builder, Manchester Evening News|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref> Peter Robinson, the founder is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
+During the 1850s, [[John Lewis (department store founder)|John Lewis]], later the founder of a rival department store, worked for Peter Robinson, initially as a drapery assistant, but worked his way up to being the youngest silk buyer in London. In 1864 he was offered a partnership in the business, but declined; instead, he opened his own drapery on Oxford Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/department-stores |title=Department Stores |website=Exploring 20th Century London|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217222027/http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/department-stores |archivedate=17 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Shelina Begum |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/john-lewis--founder-famous-7521434|title=From Drapers Apprentice to Global Empire Builder |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=29 July 2014 |accessdate=11 February 2020}}</ref> Peter Robinson, the founder is buried in a family grave at [[Highgate Cemetery]]. Robinson died in 1895 leaving the large sum of £ 1,119,660 in his will. (worth £ 113.5 million in 2022)<ref>''West London Observer'' 23/11/1895, page 5</ref>
-The current building at Oxford Circus was designed by architect Henry Tanner. Being completed in 1912, it is Grade II listed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englishheritage.org.uk/discover/people-and-places/womens-history/visible-in-store/new-markets|title=New Markets, English Heritage website|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref> The building was substantially extended in 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/new-photo/peter-robinsons-department-store-in-oxford-circus-london-news-phot/3335244|title=Getty Images|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref>
+The current building at Oxford Circus was designed by architect Henry Tanner Junior.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/architecture/sites/bartlett/files/sol_oxfordst_chapter12.pdf|title=Chapter 12 Oxford Circus, Survey of London, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL|accessdate=23 November 2020}}</ref> Being completed in 1912, it is Grade II listed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englishheritage.org.uk/discover/people-and-places/womens-history/visible-in-store/new-markets|title=New Markets, English Heritage website|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The building was substantially extended in 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/new-photo/peter-robinsons-department-store-in-oxford-circus-london-news-phot/3335244|title=Getty Images|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref>
-The business grew into a small chain of department stores and in 1946, Burtons (now [[Arcadia Group]]) took over the chain. The business was continued to expand with new stores opening across the United Kingdom, including Lime Street in Liverpool. Anglia Television televised the opening of the Peter Robinson Store in Hay Hill (still a Topshop).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eada.corg.uk/catalogue/213402|title=Anglia Television broadcast, UEA website|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref> At the height of the business Peter Robinson had 39 stores.
+The business grew into a small chain of department stores and in 1946, [[Burton (retailer)|Burton's]] (which became the [[Arcadia Group]]) took over the chain.<ref name=blog>{{cite web |author=Ava Szajna-Hopgood |url=https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/06/arcadia-went-wrong/ |title=Arcadia: What went wrong? |website=Retail Gazette |type=blog |date=13 June 2019}}</ref> The business continued to expand, with new stores opening across the United Kingdom, including Lime Street in Liverpool. [[Anglia Television]] televised the opening in 1961 of the Peter Robinson Store in [[Norwich]] (later a Topshop).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/213402 |title=About Anglia: Peter Robinson Dept Store Official Opening |website=East Anglia Film Archive |accessdate=11 February 2020}}</ref> At the height of the business Peter Robinson had 39 stores.
-In 1964, to try and attract the younger buyer, Peter Robinson's Topshop was opened on the third floor of the [[Sheffield]] store (located in Angel Place, now Primark).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lippymag.co.uk/topshop-a-history-a-look-behind-the-highstreet-brand|title=Topshop : A History, Lippy Mag|accessdate=3 Nov 2014}}</ref> In 1965, the basement of the Oxford Circus store was converted to be a Peter Robinson Topshop.
+In 1964, to try to attract the younger buyer, Peter Robinson's Topshop was opened on the third floor of the [[Sheffield]] store (located in Angel Street).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lippymag.co.uk/topshop-a-history-a-look-behind-the-highstreet-brand|title=Topshop: A history. A look behind the highstreet brand |website=Lippy |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215051500/http://www.lippymag.co.uk/topshop-a-history-a-look-behind-the-highstreet-brand |date=26 October 2012 |archivedate=15 February 2014}}</ref> In 1965, the basement of the Oxford Circus store was converted to be a Peter Robinson Topshop.
-In 1974, Burton's Group, the parent company decided that Peter Robinson and [[Topshop]] should be separated, with Peter Robinson aiming for the over 25's. The number of stores reduce from 22 to just 6. By the end of the 1970s Peter Robinson brand had all but disappeared.
+In 1970, [[George Martin]]'s [[Associated Independent Recording]] company opened the first AIR Studios recording complex on the top floor of the Oxford Circus building, where it remained in operation until 1992.<ref>{{cite book |last=Womack |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Womack |title=Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin (The Later Years, 1966–2016) |publisher=Chicago Review Press |location=Chicago |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-91277-774-0|page=369}}</ref><ref name="SOSJune2015">{{cite web|last=Bieger|first=Hannes|title=Studio File: AIR Lyndhurst, London|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/air-lyndhurst-london|website=Sound On Sound|date=June 2015|access-date=9 July 2024}}</ref>
+In 1974, Burton's Group, the parent company decided that Peter Robinson and Topshop should be separated, with Peter Robinson aiming for the over 25s. The number of stores was reduced from 22 to six.<ref>{{cite web |author=Giada Graziano |url=https://www.glamobserver.com/topshop-story-and-business/ |title=Topshop Story and Business |website=Glam Observer |date=18 December 2015}}</ref> By the end of the 1970s the Peter Robinson brand had all but disappeared.<ref name=blog />
 ==References==
@@ Line 21: / Line 29: @@
 [[Category:Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom|Robinson Peter]]
 [[Category:Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom]]
-[[Category:Companies established in 1833]]
+[[Category:Retail companies established in 1833]]
 [[Category:Department store buildings in the United Kingdom]]
 [[Category:Shops in London]]
+[[Category:Defunct companies based in London]]
+[[Category:Companies based in the City of Westminster]]
+[[Category:Mourning warehouses]]
+{{Coord|51|30|55.95|N|0|8|30.12|W|scale:1563_region:GB|display=title}}