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Blacklers was a large
'Blackie' the Blackler's Rocking Horse
Retrieved 2009-10-22. The store, which at its peak employed a thousand people, also has connections to
ENG-LIVERPOOL-L Archives
Accessed 31 August 2005.
(George Harrison timeline). Accessed 31 August 2005.
Museum of LiverpoolEmporia Fantastica
– recollections of a customer
– Liverpool photos, including the Blacklers building, with Beatles links Buildings and structures in Liverpool Defunct companies based in Liverpool Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom Department store buildings in the United Kingdom
Blacklers was a large department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
on the corner of Elliot Street and Great Charlotte Street in Liverpool, England. The store was famous for its lavish Christmas grotto and its rocking horse
__NOTOC__
A rocking horse is a child's toy, usually shaped like a horse and mounted on rockers similar to a rocking chair. There are two sorts, the one where the horse part sits rigidly attached to a pair of curved rockers that are in contact wit ...
, Blackie, which is now on display in the Museum of Liverpool
The Museum of Liverpool in Liverpool, England, tells the story of Liverpool and its people, and reflects the city's global significance. It opened in 2011 as newest addition to the National Museums Liverpool group replacing the former Museum o ...
.Museum of Liverpool'Blackie' the Blackler's Rocking Horse
Retrieved 2009-10-22. The store, which at its peak employed a thousand people, also has connections to
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
: George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
worked as an apprentice electrician at Blacklers in 1959, and Pete Best
Randolph Peter Best (; born 24 November 1941) is an English retired musician who was the drummer for the Beatles from 1960 to 1962. He was dismissed shortly before the band achieved worldwide fame and is one of several people referred to as a ...
's mother Mona bought his drum kit from the Blacklers music department.
Blacklers was founded by partners Richard John Blackler and A.B. Wallis in the early twentieth century. Blackler died in 1919 and was succeeded as a partner in the business by his wife Margaret.
Despite the building being severely damaged in The Blitz
The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War.
Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...
of May 1941 during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the business survived. Temporary outlets were created in Bold Street and Church Street and the first part of the new store opened on 29 March 1953.
Margaret Blackler died in 1957 without children, at which point the store became the property of several individuals, of which the major shareholder was the sportswoman Vera Kingston (Margaret's god-daughter). In 1983 following Vera's death the store was sold on once again, and all links to the original owners disappeared. The store remained open only a few years more, closing in April 1988.
The site now includes a Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a British pub company operating in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim ...
chain pub, named Richard John Blackler in honour of the store's founder.
See also
*Bill Smith (fell runner)
Bill Smith (May 1936 – September 2011) was a fell runner and author on the sport. His achievements in breaking records for the number of peaks scaled within 24 hours, contributions to fell-running events, plus documenting its history, earn ...
The shop also boasted a large warehouse on Strand Road Bootle, which serviced the store daily.
Deliveries were also dispatched from there for customers throughout the northwest and an art department that built displays throughout the year.
References
ENG-LIVERPOOL-L Archives
Accessed 31 August 2005.
(George Harrison timeline). Accessed 31 August 2005.
External links
{{Commons category, BlacklersMuseum of Liverpool
– recollections of a customer
– Liverpool photos, including the Blacklers building, with Beatles links Buildings and structures in Liverpool Defunct companies based in Liverpool Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom Department store buildings in the United Kingdom