Gloucester Road 53 (later changed to 123) - closed branch

Opening in 1913, Waitrose Gloucester Road enjoyed a history spanning around 76 years, with the branch’s upper floors serving as the food division’s head office until 1971. The branch closed on 14th January 1989.

One retired Partner, recalling memories for the Gazette of 1999 was Millie Beaver who joined Waitrose in 1933 at the age of 16, with a starting wage of 15 shillings a week. One of Mrs Beaver’s tasks was to go through the Grocers’ Gazette and look for notices about customers who were bad payers or even light-fingered. “I used to type out a circular and warn any branches in the area to ‘please watch out for the tall lady in the red coat’ for example”.

The branch was in a shabby state after the second world war but received a refurbishment in 1959, to incorporate a self-service section.

A new branch of Waitrose opened in Gloucester Road in 1999, incorporating a noodle bar, hot meals from the brat pan and a new-look patisserie counter.