"Window Shopping"

The two main department stores in Bristol used to do wonderful Christmas windows. They were next to each other and each tried to outdo the other. As children we would be taken to see the windows, they were magical to a small child - trains loaded with toys going round, reindeer nodding and elves waving - all done before computerisation made these things relatively easy.

Now I don't know of any store locally that does it.

*sunseeker *Lewis's and was the other one then Debenhams? I remember them well in the late 50s /60s. How rundown Broadmead has become over the years. There was another big department store on College Green. I cannot remember the name. That was an old fashioned place. I remember it had those money tubes which whizzed your money and change about the store.

Yes, Lewis's (not John Lewis - that's a different company) and Debenhams. I can't remember the name of the store on College Green either! It is a shame about Broadmead, there was a time when it was a pleasure to go there - now I tend to avoid it and Cribbs is soul less, but more convenient for parking!

Granny what a truly charming post . I can picture it in my minds eye .



xx

Mags?

Galen wasn't Maggs in Queens Road?

As a small child, we would be taken to Newcastle to see Fenwicks, Christmas window. It was the most magical thing I had ever seen, lots of moving figures, all of us children had our noses pressed up to the window. A lovely memory

Department stores used to be different in our childhood (even in our younger married years). I was told recently in our local John Lewis, that company policy is to gradually make the layout of each store identical so that e.g. Haberdashery will always be on the top floor etc. So many of the smaller stores have been swallowed up by the big chains too so there is much less variety.
A former work colleague and I once had great fun window shopping on a Friday evening after work, looking touching, trying on laughing our heads off- we were there for 4 hours but without buying a single thing!

Before I was married my mother and I always used to go up to see Selfridges Christmas windows. The best one was the year they had the costumes from the Tales of Beatrix Potter ballet. All those lovely mice

Lewis's in Manchester used to have Christmas displays that never failed to amaze and delight. One of the few photo's I have from my childhood was of a visit to Father Christmas there. My nana took us as a very special treat, I was ten and my brother was eight.

grannyactivist we were taken into Manchester as children and to Lews's to see Father Christmas. I remember the big dome in the middle of the store and Santa's grotto. Queueing up getting all excited my sister and I. I still have a photograph of the two of us standing with him. I must have been four It's special more now because my sister died when she was 62, so looking at the photograph brings back all those exciting things we did as children.

Thank you, Nonu. It makes me realise how vivid those memories are for me. My mother was a star! She was the best.

I wonder if you would like this story about seeing the lights in London. If you read my blog, you will know our son has learning difficulties, and when we were out in the car we would 'blow' the red traffic lights green - just the usual childish game - do you know how many traffic lights there are in Oxford/Regent Street? Yes, we said to him "We are going to see the lights" - and there they were lots of them, and all needed to be blown green if they were red, which they inevitably were. Apart from that window shopping is a great hobby of mine, often spend hours just looking, not a lot of cash so not a lot of spending.

I can window shop any time of year and every now and then take myself off for the day to Liverpool/Chester/Southport sit and have a people watching hour whilst out browsing and I often come back empty handed,when we where little the treet for us was to be taken on the "Underground Train" to Liverpool and visit Father Christmas at Lewis's on the corner just by Central Station magical times indeed,then walk right to the top of Bold Street with mum so she could buy herself a new dress for Christmas and she always came back to the first one she had seen

What a lovely post. I remember Lewis's-and-the-other-one at Broadmead, before Cribbs Causeway was built. Still like to window shop your way Grannyknot, without having to buy. Men don't get it though - my DH is mystified that looking at something and admiring it doesn't mean I want to buy it.

Icyalittle he is not my DH's long lost brother by any chance is he ?

Glamma we lived on the Wirral when I was growing up and I can remember my elder sister and her fiance taking my little brother and me to see Joan Regan in "Cinderella" at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. We travelled in on the underground train but the overhead railway was still in existence then running right along the river, serving the dockyards. Do you remember that?

Same here, sherish our Christmas treat was the visit to Lewis's to see Father Christmas and the panto at the Hippodrome. Nothing compared to the grandeur of that dome. We were so excited, jumping around in the queue and constantly being shepherded back by our mum as it moved along and we could see elves and fairies taking children through the grotto.

Lewis's is long gone and Primark no substitute! Window shopping is a great pastime but I haven't been in Manchester for years. Window shopping in a mall like the Trafford Centre somehow isn't quite as satisfying. Mind you, I only go there if I actually want/need something. glamma if you want to extend your window shopping habit to Manchester, just let me know.

The fake snow falling outside Hamleys this year fooled me.

Gagagran Yes I do remember it,if I'm not wrong it was called "The Dockers Umbrella" as it ran above where the Dockers where unloading the cargo's,I had never been on it as it was dismanteled I think in late 50s/early60s but DH can remember going on it with his school it was part of their geography/local history lessons and he remembers it very well,his dad was a crane driver on the docks,we used to go to The Empire for Panto's which where paid for by my dads firm and we where all given presents & ice cream.fond memories indeed,the one I remember best was Frankie Vaughan when he was "Buttons" in Cinderella one year and Green Door being sung when they did the "its behind you" part of the panto.

anno you are so right. Window shopping in malls just doesn't work. You need a nice long high street, and shop windows with a stamp of individuality, and at least a couple of decent independent department stores. We can only but dream.

window shopping isnt the same anymore because all the shops are open every day it was far better when the shops were closed you couldnt spend any money lol...