When the railway came to Haslemere in 1859 the area began to earn a reputation for its unspoilt beauty. As tourists and new settlers arrived, so locals set up and expanded into new businesses, such as horse–drawn carriage hire and tea–rooms. Haslemere has sustained hundreds of independent shops and businesses. The national chain stores have largely been more recent arrivals. Woolworths came in 1951 and its Haslemere branch is said to have been the only store in Britain not to have the classic trademark red in its sign – a concession to the shop’s surroundings. The UK chain and the local store finished trading at the start of 2009. An independent, R. Miles ironmongers, holds the record for the longest continually running shop in Haslemere.
Track 20 West Street Shops 2
Credit line: Joe Nobbs talks about the shops that used to be in West Street.
Transcription:
Interviewee: Then there used to be Gordon Chapman, which used to be the furniture shop. And that was about it. I can’t remember when the Telephone Exchange was built, because originally that must have been in the Post Office complex somewhere.