22 – 26 and 34 – 38 Listergate, Nottingham NG1 7DG
Over 100 years ago in August 1914, Woolworths opened their first Nottingham store in historic Listergate. It possibly started off small, as between 1936-1937 F.W.Woolworth architects designed the most large-scale Art Deco front, extending the store to 22-26 Listergate. You can see how large it was in the below 1950s postcard.
Source: 100thbirthday.co.uk
In the 1960s, Woolworths extended into 34-38 Listergate, so there was a link from 22-26 on the ground floor through to 34-38. It was one giant store split in two. There was an enormous cafeteria that would seat approximately 500 people – some say the cafe was larger than some shops on the high street! Here is what the new half looked like.
Source: Roberts, George L – Picture the Past
1972 was when the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre was being built. Below is a photo showing this, and you can see the two halves of the Woolworths in the background.
Source: Nottinghamshire County Council
In the mid-70s, the fascias were updated to the new red ‘Woolworth’ and logo.
Source: Baker, Reg – Picture the Past
Source: 100thbirthday.co.uk
In 1984 Kingfisher sold the store, as they were getting rid of large stores to get more capital. The Listergate stores were sold to Boots. By this time there were many other Woolworths branches scattered across Nottingham, and they reopened in the town centre in 1991 in the new Victoria Centre.
Today, 22-26 Listergate is occupied by M&S, and 34-38 Listergate is occupied by Poundland, Optical Express and WHSmith. Here they are, both buildings looking remarkably as they did in their heyday, with the Art Deco front still looking as elegant and grand on the M&S store.
Source: Soult, Graham
Source: HRH
Woolies Buildings - Then and Now 
This is lovely. Well researched, and full of: “Well, I never knew that!” moments. Bravo!
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I used to work in the restaurant in the late 70’s and have very fond memories of my time there
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I used to work at the listergate store in the 70s on the makeup counter
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Did you eat in the staff canteen at all, I may have cooked for you!
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My nanna , Elsie Towle worked in the canteen for over 25 years.
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Hi Jill,
What years did your Nanna work at Woolies? Do you have a pictures
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I fondly remember Elsie, she was so kind to me when I started working there in 1974,she worked alongside a lady called Edie.
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I used to work at woollies in the 70s
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Hi all, my dad was store Manager at Listergate in the mid 70,s, he got moved from the Leeds Store and was offered Nottingham or Walsall so I could have been brought up in the Black Country instead of being a Nottingham lad, luckily it coincided with Nottingham Forest winning jus t about everything so that was a happy coincidence I worked there as A Saturday boy for about 3 years, always remember Colin Lemon who worked in the stores and loved lunchtimes in the canteen!, it would be lovely to here from anyone who remembers Peter Pepper, he passed away in 2010, thank Simon Pepper
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Hi Simon,
Interested to read your post about your dad being the manager of Listergate. I was there a little earlier in 1972, when the manager was Graham Thomas and the district manager was Graham Nichols.
Coincidentally, my brother Peter Hinchcliffe, worked for your dad at the Grantham store in around 1966. I can remember him telling me what a good man to work for.
I left Woolies in 1982 to work for Peter at Iceland, staying with them until I retired in 2016.
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Yes I did
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I married mr Pidd,can you remember him
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I might if you describe him, I worked in the restaurant kitchens from 1978 to 1980
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He was one of the floor walkers as they used to call them
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Hi Susan,
I might remember him if you could describe him. I loved working there, it was like a big family back then. I visited the folks in the restaurant kitchen as it was being wound down, really sad to see. I often wonder what became of those people. I suppose many of them are no longer with us. I wonder if the restaurant, kitchens and staff canteen ever got used for anything else by the new occupiers or if they were just mothballed, would be great to get a look around!
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I think you might have remembered him,he was tall mousy coloured hair,there was only two or three I think altogether,he was the only one with a Ukrainian name.he passed away 11 years ago in February.i do sometimes try to remember some of the people I worked with,and try to find them on Facebook. Can you remember anyone called pam,short hair glasses,I don’t know her sir name,she probably married now anyway,and Walter ,he used to sweep the floors.
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Hi Susan and Happy New Year!
I have been in contact on FB with a chap who is married to the lady who was personnel manager at the time I worked there. He also remembers the guy who was store manager when I worked there who had an artificial eye.He put a photo on FB of a lot of the staff gathered together just before the store closed Other people I remember were John Allen the catering manager, Maureen the restaurant supervisor, Mavis who fried the fish for the restaurant and Bernard who did the chips and other jobs in the kitchen area. Upstairs in the staff restaurant was Maureen, Mavis’s daughter. Also in the restaurant kitchen was Tom the chef and Mary who did a lot of the cooking
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I worked in the bakery at the back of the Restaurant,I remember Maureen the supervisor also Tom the chef John Allen and Mary the assistant cook Mavis on the fryers,I have fond memories of my time working there from 1974 until 1979.
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I can remember you Alan. Such a shame when Woolies closed. I went to visit the kitchen staff as they were winding down and John said I could have the marble table from the bakery if I could get it out but sadly I had no way of transporting it.My days at Woolies inspired me to go to catering college and have led to me havinga career in the food industry which continues to this day. Where did you go after Woolies?
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Hi Adrian,I think I remember you,did your mum also work at woolies?I`ts a shame you couldent get the marble slab out,it was fab for doing pastry work on,I saw Tom the chef a couple of times after I left there in May of 1979 also bumped into Maureen Green in town(Nottingham)a few times some years ago now.
After leaving Woolies I went to work in Guernsey (Channel Islands)for a year,on returning to Nottingham I worked for Notts County Council in Day care catering up to my retirement in December 2015.
Nice to know you are still in the industry,what work are you doing now?
Alan.
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Hi Alan, nice to hear from you, sorry it’s taken a few days to reply, I’ve been away on holiday. No, my mum didn’t work at Woolies. Do you also remember Bernard who used to help Mavis on the fish and chips? He was also a potman at the Horse and Groom pub on Wheelergate, next to what used to be Pizzaland. I think Mavis’s daughter Maureen used to work in the staff canteen upstairs. There was also Mary who used to work alongside Tom, she scared me when I first started as I couldn’t understand a word she said! There was also a lovely older lady who used to make the plated sandwiches in that small room off the corridor, next to the dry stores I think. As I recall you were replaced by a baker by the name of Gill but he didn’t stay long and then I think they stopped using the bakery section all together. I have to say that of all the kitchens I’ve worked in Woolies was the best equipped, it had everything! I wonder if it got sold off when the store closed or if it was all mothballed and is still there gathering dust? I’d love to have a look round up there!
I stayed in catering till 1988, I worked in three of the Nottingham hotels, The Albany, The Royal where I was a pastry chef, and the Strathdon. I then went into the food manufacturing industry working in new product development and I’ve stayed in the industry ever since. I now work as a food technologist for a German company based in Mickleover near Derby which manufactures natural food colours made from fruits and vegetables. I sometimes think I’d like to have my own little restaurant but then I remember the long hours and having to work evenings and weekends and it doesn’t seem such a great idea!
Where did you train to be a baker? Are you still in Nottingham?
Looking forward to hearing back from you,
All the best,
Adrian
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Hi Adrian,I remember all those people that you have mentioned,If I remember correctly Bernard was very ill not long before I left in May 1979,Mavis`s daughter Maureen worked at the Asda store in West Bridgford in the late 1980`s,I saw her to speak to a few times around then as I was working at one o the NCC Day care centres up the road from the store.
My bakery skills came from my training after leaving school working in a large Conference centre in Derbyshire also doing most of my catering exams at college in Derby.
one thing about working at Woolies was the amazing social side,there were many evenings at the as then Sherwood rooms also trips after work on Fridays to the Sheffield Bier keller,I have some pictures up in the loft of the trips to Sheffield,must try and find them.
if I find them I will share them with you if you like,are you on Facebook? as it`s easy to share pictures on that site.
Yes I still live in Nottingham,where are you living these days?
Best wishes.Alan.
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Hi Alan, nice to hear from you again.
Are you from the Derby area originally? I’m now living at Horsley Woodhouse, near Ilkeston. As I was still at school when I first started at Woolies I didn’t get to go to any of the social functions apart from one which took place in the canteen area. It always seemed like the staff were a great big family, I expect that a lot of those lovely folks are sadly no longer with us. I can still remember virtually everything I had to cook during the day, sometimes during the school holidays I worked during the week as well as at weekends and that was when Tom made the lovely steak and kidney and cottage pies. Although the food wasn’t fancy it was good quality at a reasonable price. Some things would get frowned upon these days like instant custard made up with boiling water, powdered mash and cabbage boiled up with bicarbonate of soda but it was damned tasty grub! I used to like sitting in the lounge area off the staff restaurant and looking out of the windows at the shoppers below. The worst job was having to wash the gastronorm trays at the end of the day when the steak and kidney pie had baked hard on. Those deep sinks with built in heating elements were pretty good though.
You can find me on Facebook under my name Adrian Nathan, would love to see some of your photos
Kind regards,
Adrian
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Hi Simon,I worked at Woolies in the mid 70’s in the bakery,I remember your dad very well,he was manager when I started working there,I remember him as a lovely quiet man that cared for all his staff,he used to go around all the department’s in the morning to say good morning to staff.
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Hi Alan, thank you for that yes he was a quiet man at home too!, I have a photo somewhere of a staff outing to somewhere in the lake district with a lot of the staff on it which I will try and post, thanks Simon.
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Hi Simon,I was part of the staff social team that organized that particular trip to the Lake district,if I remember correctly we didn’t have much time in Windermere as we went onto Morcambe on the coast for fish and chips on the way home,it would be really nice if you can find that photo of the day out and post it.
Alan.
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Can anyone remember mrs fickling one of the supervisors.
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Interesting to read all the comments regarding Listergate. I was there for 12 months as a floorwalker in 1972 when the manager was Graham Thomas. Our district manager was Graham Nichols who is still alive and kicking and in his 90’s. Great times spent there.
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The unique thing about this store was built in the shape of a “V” due to the fact that a pub called “The Sawyers Arms was sandwiched in between the two parts of the store. Maybe they just didn’t want to be forced out of their site.
I worked at the store 1964 -67 first in the stockroom and then on the sales floor. The store manager was a Mr Griffiths, Deputy manager Mr Bostock Assistant Manager Glyn Pugh and stockroom manager Mr(Chalky) White.
The upstairs cafe was run by Mr Quirk. A wonderful place to work.
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Yes store 36 Nottingham was a lovely place to work,I worked in the Bakery which was part of the restaurant,I was there 1974 until 1979,happy days
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Just picked up your note Paul. I started at 36 Nottingham as a trainee in 1961, again in the stockroom as we all did, and under Chalky White. Roy Powell was on goods inwards. DM was then a Mr. Jones, never did know his first name – Wollworths was like that in those days. But i remember Barry Bostock, he lived in a mobile home in Gamston. And Glyn Pugh lived above a shop on Broxtowe Lane near to where I grew up. I moved to 350 Northampton in 1964, then various other stores before becoming DM at 65 Worcester in May 1969. I had almost decided by then that I didn’t want a career in retail and left FWW in late 1969 to work as a grocery sales rep. I got the same salary as a DM at Woolworths, but worked just 5 days a week and got a company car.
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Hi Brian, Only just picked up your message. Interesting. I don;t believe we met as I didn’t start until July 64. In the stockroom under the guidance of Chalky. I bought a camera off him as he was a bit of a camera buff. You may remember Hilda, Doris,Pauline and David Simpson who used to do the bailing. Did you meet Roger Jones a floor-walker from Malvern or Nick Mccreeton from Teesside I think. I used to share a flat with them on Corporation OAks. Other trainee managers were Derick Smith, Dave Cartwright, Ron Blake. Bessie Butler managed the food hall Can you remember who you worked with. i was transferred to Tenby for a summer season in April 67 amove which would either Make or Break me. It was the latter.. Left retail in 68 wondering why I ever used to work Saturdays. never looked back, but will always value the great training and experience of those early days. Nice to hear from you hope things worked out well for you too.
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