Bedford
Longhurst and Skinner
Places > Bedford > Shops > Longhurst and Skinner
The firm JC Denton occupied the Bedford Pantechnicon, in Midland Road when it was built in about 1870 until Longhurst & Skinner acquired it with the shop becoming a large departmental store specialising in furniture around 1897. The building was completely destroyed by fire in the early hours of the 11th January 1912 and then was rebuilt in its present form.
H.W.Longhurst was mayor of Bedford in 1909 and his son became a well-known golfer and writer. In 1978 Perrings Furnishings bought the shop, which closed in 1994. Shortly afterwards the premises were bought by Wetherspoons and the first floor was converted into The Pilgrims Progress public House.
Sources
- Newspaper Cuttings Collection, Local Studies Library, Bedford Central Library
Longhurst and Skinner, by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2012
Page last updated: 22nd January 2014