Eastbourne’s ‘golden age’ for retail is in a new exhibition

‘Are You Being Served’, from the Eastbourne Society, has taken over the entire first floor of the Heritage Centre in Carlisle Road. A society spokesperson said: “We can’t promise Mr Humphries, Miss Brahms or Mrs Slocombe but we can promise potted palms mannequins, vintage accessories and images of shop window displays, tearooms, orchestras, chandeliers, domed ceilings - all the glitz and glamour of retail’s golden age.”

All four of Eastbourne’s original stores are featured - along with the stores that they later became – Bobby’s, Dale & Kerley, Plummer Roddis and Beales. The focus is on Bobby’s, known as ‘the Harrods of Eastbourne’, which eventually became Debenhams. The spokesperson said: “The exhibition, which has taken several months to put together, has been a labour of love for the curators Nicholas Howell, Paul Jordan and Alan Wenham and the 36-page souvenir catalogue is a work of art in its own right.”

The society is keen to hear from anyone who shopped or worked in the stores. Entry is £3 (concessions available) and the Heritage Centre's opening hours are 10am-4pm on Saturdays and 2pm-5pm on Sundays.

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