Apparently a lease has been signed for Argos to take over the old Woolworths store in Leytonstone, with the refit beginning shortly. Good news indeed.

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 are plenty of things happening in E11 over the Christmas period…

Leytonstone Christmas Lights Switch On

When: Thursday 26th November, 3:30pm – 6:00pm.
Where: Leytonstone Town Centre.

Christmas Market

When: Saturday 5th December.
Where: St. John’s Church, Leytonstone.

Town Centre Christmas Decoration Window Display Competition

When: Friday 18th December.
Where: Leytonstone Town Centre.

Wanstead Christmas Lights Switch On

Residents can take part in a fun treasure hunt from by picking up a map from local retailers along Wanstead High Street.

Carol singers will also be on hand to provide plenty of Christmas cheers and the annual lights display will be switched on.

All shops, cafes and restaurants participating in the event will also exhibit art by pupils from Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School on Chestnut Drive.

The event is being organised by Living Streets, which represents pedestrians and aims to make roads safer for people moving around on foot.

The participating retailers are: Bike Trax, One Deko, Rio, Nice Croissant, The Orange Tree, Picture Perfect Gallery, The Larder, Blush Temples, Heads N Tails, Wanstead Domestic Appliances, Horsfall & Wright, Knock Down Ginger and Lillies of Wanstead.

When: Friday 27th November, 3:30pm – 6:00pm.
Where: Wanstead High Street.

If you haven’t visited the Westfield Stratford City website, its well worth a look. After stagnating for a long time, its recently been re-designed, sporting a flashy new look with some nice slideshows featuring cgi impressions of the finished article and some pics of how the work is progressing.

Stratford City - Northern Arcade

Waltham Forest Guardian reports that the Tesco Express in Wanstead could open before the end of the year. A planning application to site a loading diectly in front of it had been rejected by Redbridge Council, holding up progress. However this has now been resolved, with Tesco agreeing to make deliveries via Grosvenor Road instead, so work can now press ahead to fit out the store.