of High Street, Exeter
1827 Advertisement. Colson and Spark, 34 High Street, Exeter.[1]
1840 Advertisement. Colson and Spark. 'New Stock of Furs'.[2]
1862 Partnership dissolved. '...the Partnership heretofore subsisting between the undersigned, John Worthy Colson and John Spark in the trade or business of Drapers, carried on by them at No. 34, High-street, in the city of Exeter, under the style or firm of Colson and Spark, has been this day day dissolved by mutual consent. The business will in future be carried on at the above premises by the said John Worthy Colson, on his own account...'[3]
1863 Colson and Co, 34 High Street. formerly Colson and Spark.[4]
1869 Colson and Co, 34 High Street. Rich Silks.[5]
1870 Announces that George Colson will enter into partnership with Edward Wilson gates and trade as Colson and Gates.[6]
1884 Partnership dissolved. '... the Partnership heretofore subsisting between us the undersigned, George Colson and Edward Wilson Gates, in the business of Linen Drapers, Silk Mercers, and Haberdashers, at Nos. 33 and 34, High-street, in the city of Exeter, under the firm of Colson and Gates, expired, by effluxion of time, on the 31st day of January, 1884; and that the said business will in future be carried on by the said George Colson alone, under the style of Colson and Co...'[7]
1897 Listed as Colson and Co, 33 and 34 High Street, Drapers.[8]
1913 Business sold to a local JP, Sir Edgar Plummer who ran the store for 12 years.
1925 The store was acquired by Brights, a fellow department store located in Bournemouth, with the business trading under the Colsons of Exeter brand.
WW2 The store was damaged by bombing raids, but parts of the store had been saved and continued to operate.
After the war the business had plans drawn up to refurbish the buildings. By 1953, new plans were drawn up by architects F. W. Beech and E. Curnow Cookes to rebuild the whole store in nine phases, to allow for business to continue. When the new store was completed it had increased in size taking in neighbouring stores, Bellmans and Wymans.
1960 The business continued to operate as part of Brights when they were purchased by a rival Bournemouth based department store group called J. J. Allen. Under J. J. Allen ownership the business added the J. J. Allen stores Mayron Fashion and Chanelle as departments.
1966 The store had its own Food Hall.
1969 J. J. Allen (including Colson and Co) were purchased by House of Fraser for £5.3 million and merged into its Harrods group.
1971 House of Fraser purchased the west country department store group E. Dingle and Co and all the House of Fraser stores in the west country were transferred into the new Dingles division and re-branded under the Dingles name.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 06 January 1827
- ↑ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 07 November 1840
- ↑ The London Gazette Publication date:3 October 1862 Issue:22668 Page:4745
- ↑ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Friday 11 September 1863
- ↑ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams - Saturday 09 October 1869
- ↑ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Friday 28 January 1870
- ↑ The London Gazette Publication date:5 February 1884 Issue:25315 Page:551
- ↑ 1897 Kelly's Directory of Devonshire