We take a look back as history repeats itself on Bridgnorth High Street
As Bridgnorth prepares to wave goodbye to The Original Factory Shop on its high street, a local historian has unearthed some images of when shoppers had to say goodbye to another big high street name trading from the same building.
This week, the managers of Bridgnorth’s The Original Factory Shop announced the store at 16 High street will shut for good next month.
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The closure on April 4 comes after owners Modella Capital began insolvency proceedings in January and announced all its 137 stores would close.
But before the store began trading out of 16 High Street, another big high street name occupied the Bridgnorth building.
Woolworths, which began trading in the town in 1953, initially in 20 High Street, but later moved to the 16 High Street building in the late 60s..
The Woolworths name had become a staple on British high streets since the turn of the 20th century, but in January 2009, the Bridgnorth shop along with every other UK Woolworths stores closed for good, losing the town’s store’s 24 employees their jobs.
Local historian and author Clive Gwilt, who unearthed images of the building when it was occupied by Woolworths, known affectionately as "Woolies", said the building had originally been The Crown pub.
Anybody interested in Bridgnorth history can also visit Clive’s Bridgnorth History, Memories and Interesting Facts page on Facebook.
