Quite a few searches that end up on this site are for “Bearman’s Leytonstone” and having searched for the same information myself in the past I know that there is suprisingly little out there on internet. So, what is, or was Bearman’s? you might ask. Well, try mentioning the name to some of our older residents and they’re liable to go all misty-eyed on you, recounting tales of Leytonstone’s “glory days”. Anyone who’s walked through Leytonstone tube station’s subway may have noticed an older poster on the wall near to the Church Lane entrance as well.

Bearman’s was in fact a department store, a proper “Are You Being Served” job, sadly no longer with us and seemingly almost wiped from memory given the aforementioned lack of information out there. Frank Bearman, the proprieter, a draper by profession also went on to buy a part-share in Allders Department Stores.

So, I’ve basically started this post to try to gather any stories, pictures, in fact anything at all that people may wish to share about Bearman’s in Leytonstone.

Now, to get the ball rolling, I’ve been nosing around the 1901 census information recently and thought I’d see if I could find Mr. Bearman. Luckily, there’s an entry in there for what appears to be the department store itself – possibly the Bearmans actually lived there at that time. The census information lists the address as “3 and 4, The Parade, Leytonstone”, which presumably was the name given at the time to that section of shops on the High Road. The occupants were…

• Frank C Bearman (Draper/Shopkeeper)
• Kate Bearman (his Wife)
• Bernard Bearman (their son, aged 2 at the time)
• Mary Waller (Cook)
• Agnes Newby (Servant)
• Susan Tapp (Servant)
• Ellen Goodson (Servant)
• Arthur Harrison (Drapers Assistant)
• Bertrand Cox (Drapers Assistant)
• Richard Hilton (Drapers Assistant)
• Victor Brier (Drpaers Assistant)
• Thomas Simpkins (Drapers Assistant)
• Douglas Bunbury (Shopwalker)

So, looks like at this time the shop was still just a drapers, but it would evolve over the years into much more than that.

More to follow on this and as I mentioned, please add comments if you have any information to contribute.

There’s been quite a bit of discussion in recent months about street clutter (signage, advertisments etc.) and its negative impact on London streets. The guys over at The Wanstead Society had a link to a nice Guardian/English Heritage interactive tool which demonstrates some of these issues extremely well.

English Heritage also started the “Save Our Streets” campaign…

The towns and villages of England are being blighted by superfluous signs, haphazard paving and obstructed footways. As a result our streets are losing their local distinctiveness and character.

Save our Streets is a campaign to return England’s streets to places where people want to be, where all street users are accommodated and where communities thrive as a result.

A series of policy documents are available on their website which detail the problems caused by insensitive street additions and maintenance.