Sheffield Record Shops – A – C

Allen, John. 105 Infirmary Road and 428 Firth Park Road

From the record sleeve this looks like the shop may have been operating during the early post-World War 2 years. They advertise themselves as selling Radios and Cycles. The Infirmary Road address may be the original building but is now part of a larger cheapo furniture shop. The Firth Park Road address was still Allen’s Cycles in 1965, but is now a chemist.

Angell. G. 102 Devonshire Street
Angell’s 102 Devonshire Street, 277 South Road, Walkley

“We Are Out To Satisfy You”; the sleeves advertise Gramophone Records, Gramophone Players and repairs. 277 was later a record shop owned by A. Wood (see separate entry).
102 has been demolished and replaced by modern building, 277 premises survive but has been converted into a house.

Atkinson. John The Moor Gramophone Records / Gramophone Players

Atkinson’s High Court, High Street

Atkinsons sold 78s during the pre and post war period in their department store on  The Moor but opened a separate record shop “Sheffield’s New Record Centre” for a time in the 1950s selling the new format records. I don’t know when this was opened or closed. The Moor store was bombed in the war and rebuilt.

Above is one of the 7″ paper bags for the Atkinson’s Record Centre in High Court Sheffield

Banner Ltd., John  The Family Store. Gramophone Record Dept. Attercliffe

Sheffield’s best known and biggest suburban department store built in 1933, Banners dominated the East End of the City.  The purpose built shop had several floors, the first working lift, and of course a record department selling 78s.  Magnificent building survives albeit as a poorly organised set of cheap rental spaces and deserves far better.

S. Barron & Co. Ltd. 445 Firth Park Road  201 White Lane, Gleadless
Barron’s. Firth Park Terminus, Sheffield 5. 855 Gleadless Road, Sheffield 12

A local radio, TV and white goods shop, with two branches, Barron’s also sold record players and had a record bar, selling LPs and 7″ singles in the 1950s and 60s. Stan Barron opened his first shop in Firth Park in 1952 (he seems to be fondly remembered judging from comments on local forums: “Worked for Stan Barron in record bar, lovely man, best boss you could wish for” – “Shop was great, I used it a lot. He once let me buy an album and pay for it over two weeks, no agreement just trust” – “bought my first record player from there and he gave me two free records to get started”). His son remembered the shop on a local forum: “Downstairs he had his ‘Television Theatre’. Loads of big TVs all switched on. He got the idea from the Radio Show in London. He was a bit of a character with big moustache, kids all called him Snudge ( from TV program Bootsie & Snudge). Not only did he sell records but, Tvs fridges etc. He used to have 6d in the slot TV. I was the first kid in the class who could count to 40 as I had to bag up all the 6ds before I could go out to play. I think he sold out to Radio Rentals. I worked for him at Christmas. Sold boxes of Sound of Music LPs”. Stan opened a second shop at Gleadless Townend in the early 1960s (which was next to the now closed NatWest) and later moved just across the main road to White Lane. The 201 and 855 buildings are still there near the main road at Gleadless Townend in a shopping area now strangled by traffic on the main ring road. Barron’s had 7″ card sleeves printed; “Top Twenty Always In Stock”.  The Firth Park shop, which was on the south end of a large parade of shops where the tanning rooms are (next to the library) closed in 1965 but the building is also still there. Web posts say Marti Caine worked there for a time, and Stan’s lad Keith was the actor Keith Barron.

Bear Tree Records, Units 13-16, The Forum, 127 Devonshire Street, Sheffield, S3 7SB

To quote their site in 2019: “Bear Tree Records is a shop in Sheffield, specialising in new vinyl records. The shop opened in 2015. We stock the finest new releases and reissues as well as a small amount of quality second hand records.”  The Forum is mainly a hip shopping centre, but record shops do come and go.  They have an online catalogue as well.

Beltons 26 Change Alley, High Street
“The Wireless and Gramophone Shop.” Beltons also had branches at Leeds and Bradford. They must have been selling records quite early on as they did 8″ discs which were discontinued C1910.
Change Alley demolished during building of Arundel Gate.

Bennett Bros. 30 Trippett Lane, Sheffield

I only have a blank 78 rpm sleeve with this firm’s name and details rubber stamped onto it. I would imagine it dates from the 1920s or earlier.  The building is still there but looks like it a Victorian office block so maybe Bennett’s ran it inside somewhere.

Birtles, C. O. 161 West Street. Later 177 West Street / 559 Attercliffe Road.

“It pays to buy at Birtles” . Earlier bag has 161 West Street address, then they appear to have moved on to 177 and opened another branch in Attercliffe.

161 West Street destroyed recently for another block of student slum flats. 177 has been destroyed recently for a badly designed student bar complex. Sheffield Council want whipping for allowing this handsome Georgian row to be butchered.  559 Attercliffe Road is still there but now reduced to a shabby “adult” store called Fantasy Locker.

Blanchards Ltd. opposite the Royal Infirmary

“Everything For Home Comfort”. This was a local department shop originally opposite Royal Infirmary according to their sleeves (but which seems to have moved post-war due to bombing). They stocked Gramophone Records (78s) and Gramophone Players (‘our Albert gramophone’) for a time.

Bland, G & F. 733 Eccleshall Road

This 78 sleeve suggests Bland’s were a record library, and for 2d per week you could loan the latest records. This (and similar book lending services) went out of fashion once the city began opening public libraries.

Booth. C. N. 139 Middlewood Road, Sheffield.

Nothing more is known about this shop, advertising as a “Radio specialist” on their shop sleeves. They also advertise Duophone Records on the sleeve, which were launched in 1925 and closed around 1929, so give us an idea of when they were in business. The building is very run down today having been an oriental restaurant for some time.

Boots. City Centre.

Although Boots The Chemists are a nationwide chain, some of their bigger stores sold records in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as accessories like plastic sleeves and storage bags. They did quite a good range of albums and single. I’ve not seen a Sheffield specific bag but the one here from the 60s was probably used throughout the country.

Bradley’s Records, 59 Fargate, 103 West Street (+?)

They may have had more shops in Sheffield (and also opened in Rochdale, Huddersfield, Manchester and Doncaster). I don’t know when the chain started, but probably a late-comer to the scene emerging in the 1960s. They peaked in the 1970s and faded sometime in the 1980s.  There is more on the Sheffield shop on the site.

British Home Stores, 43-51 The Moor.

BHS (as we know them today) was founded in 1928 and is a nationwide chain. Back in the day they also sold 78s, sheet music and needles. Their shop was on The Moor, and after the area was bombed in the war they rebuilt. Not certain of the date of this bag, maybe late 1930s?

Brooks. R.B. 537 Ecclesall Road

This was a general shop, advertising “Tobacconist, fancy goods, all leading makes of gramophone records (78s) supplied” on their sleeve.  People were advised to use the “Hickmott Road tram stop.” The premises survive, now a restaurant.

Cann, Philip 2 & 4 Dixon Lane.

“For Everything Musical – Most Complete Record Stock In Yorkshire”, Cann’s (as they were always known) were one of the city’s best stocked music shops selling music, instruments, as well as gramophone records and players. Listed in directory as early as 1927 but had been there possibly since late 1800s. Premises demolished in 1960s (they moved – see below) and site redeveloped.

Cann Ltd. Philip. Chapel Walk, Fargate.

The business moved to new store C1959, with a large record department, listening booths, etc. in the basement. Above is a 7″ paper bag from the new store, C1960. The business was sold by Philip’s three sons when they retired circa 1968, and bought by Vallances, a chain.  They agree to keep the family name for five years until 1973, then renamed it Vallances. They were an electrical and white goods chain and the shop quickly went downhill after they fired the Canns manager.  It closed in 1976. Shop building is still there but divided up internally. Vallances also had a shop on The Moor later but with just a tiny record counter.
Canns have a fuller entry on the site with more photographs. Below; the shop did a tie up with the Sheffield Morning Telegraph to promote the record review column on clear plastic album bags.

Cantors

A furniture shop chain started in Sheffield which also sold records for a time in the 50s and 60s, and advertised the “Best choice of pops, EPs and LPs” in the sixties. Locally they had branches at 57 Leopold Street, 68 Fargate, 89 The Moor (1973 Kellys)

Carson & Co. 56 Owler Lane

A local business with three premises, one selling motorcycles and bikes at 511 Barnsley Road,  a garage on Herries Road and the electrical goods shop at Owler Lane, early stockist of records or  “Gramaphones (sic), Wireless and electrical goods”.  56 is still standing, but used as offices.

Chapman. V.V.  200 Gleadless Road

Sold 78s, “Gramophone Records / Gramophone Players + repairs. Accumulators [batteries] charged.” Area demolished and rebuilt as new housing.

City Tyre and Vulcanising Co. Ltd. (The). 290 Rockingham Street

It might seem an ususual sideline for a car tyre and rubber business to us (though probably no weirder than garages selling alcohol would seem in the 1920s), but they sold 78s for a time and “Everything for the gramophone.”  Area now redeveloped.

Cockaynes.

A popular local city centre department store on Angle Street, Cockaynes opened at a drapers in 1829 and was a full department store by 1899.  The building was destroyed in the blitz but rebuilt after the war between 1949 and 1955 (when the final floors were added.)  Like many shops they had their own record department at least by the 1950s selling 78s, and then singles. Eventually printed up ‘master bags’ to keep track of titles in stock as above, but before that the company name T B & W Cockayne was just rubber stamped on the sleeve as below.  We can date this to 1958 as the writing in the corner gives the catalogue number for an EP by Les Compagnons De La Chanson, a French group who issued a 4 track EP that year sung in English.  5/- to you (25p). The shop was taken over by Schofields in 1972 but closed ten years later. Premises still there.

Co-operative Society Brightside & Carbrook, Staniforth Road and City

I assume the Co-op sold records from some of their bigger stores in the city, the above being two which did 78s before the war.

Cole. William. 111-115 Norfolk Street

“Piano, Player-piano, Gramophone and Wireless Merchants.” (Sheffield & District Trades Directory 1927-28). I think they were a separate business to the better known Cole Brothers shop (see below).

Cole Brothers Ltd

“Visit our Gramophone and Record Department downstairs and hear the latest music”. A local business dating back to the mid-1800s established by three brothers, Coles became part of the Selfridge chain then John Lewis. Coles corner was famous locally as a meeting place (and inspired a Richard Hawley album title). Coles moved to the purpose built new store in Barkers Pool in 1963. The original building, reportedly one of the first iron framed buildings in the country, was demolished in favour of one of the blandest modern buildings in the city (which is saying something).

Cox Radiovision (Sheffield) Ltd 687 Attercliffe Road

Primarily an electrical goods shop which also sold 78s and later albums and singles, “For All The Best Records”.  Shop closed C1964. Probably demolished.

Crane & Sons 6 Royal Exchange Buildings, Lady’s Bridge (4, 5, 6 Lady’s Bridge). 125 The Moor

Listed in the Sheffield & District Trades Directory 1927-28, Crane’s probably has a much longer history, starting as a music shop in Liverpool and then expanding across the country. Still listed as Record Dealers in 1965 directory I vaguely remember them but they’d moved to more modest premises in a more central location (advertised as selling Pianos and organs. 1973 Kellys).  The 78 sleeve lists their various stores. “Everything for The Music Lover”.  The Ladys Bridge building is still standing, now listed.

Curtis, F and Sons, W H.

W H Curtis record shop bag from the Moor branch in the late 1960s

This Sheffield chain of electrical retailers and record shops began at least as early as the mid-1920s on London Road (moving at least three times there). The the 1930s they were advertising record bars in their shops at 1 Porter Street, Moorhead; 68-72 London Road; 253 Crookes and 669 Chesterfield Road. They opened a new Moorhead shop at 5 The Moor around 1959. This finally closed in 1973. They also had shops in Doncaster, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire at the height of their business. Curtis also operated some sort of recording studio facility before the war. A detailed entry for W H Curtis is on the site.