Advertisement for Pearsons, Long Row, 1985.

Opened in 1889 by Tom Pearson, this store was badly damaged by fire in 1985 and after nearly a decade of trading, the store closed on 2 January 1988. Its famous hand-operated lift was manned by Les Kilminster.

The refurbished interior now houses a Next clothing outlet, a company that raised-the-bar on mail order shopping during the mid 1980’s.