L is for......

Lewis's.

Yes I know it is Primark now but it used to be Lewis's.

This has nothing to do with John Lewis.

The original Lewis's was in Liverpool. The Manchester store opened in 1877.
This is not the original building which had a clock tower and chimes to go with it.
The existing building opened in 1915 with an extention in 1929.
On the 5th floor is a full size ballroom with a dome above it.
This was used for staff dances and exhibitions.

Lewis's was a Department Store known for it's window displays and innovation.
One of the first to use (wax) mannequins, at one time there was a pet department selling exotic animals and Lewis's was always the store with the best and (for some time probably the only) Father Christmas.

I have heard that to highlight a venitian theme they flooded the sub basement and created an area where customers could take rides on gondolas!
There are no records of the date but I presume it would have been pre war.

During 1983/1984 I worked for the perfumery and Cosmetics buyer in the buying office on the 5th floor. The ballroom was already boarded off and I never even knew it was there!

When I was there we bought for nine stores, Liverpool (Head Office), Manchester, Glasgow, Blackpool, Stoke on Trent, Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester and Selfridges London. (Yep Lewis's owned Selfidges).

The company went into liquidation in 1991 but the Manchester store was bought by Owen and Owen and traded under the Lewis's name until 2001.
After damage caused by the bombing in 1996 Marks and Spencers and some retailers from the Corn Exchange (now the Triangle) rented space, temporarily in Lewis's.

Primark use only a small part of the building now and many of the original features are boarded over.

I believe it is a Grade II listed building but it appears, sadly, to be falling into disrepair.

Plus point - Blue sky!!!!!!

other manchester bits