Take a nostalgic step back in time!

An illustrated talk by Frances Wilson, a local history enthusiast who runs the Hartlepool branch of the Cleveland Family History Society, will take place at Hartlepool Borough Council’s Community Hub Central in York Road on Thursday May 2nd from 2-3.30pm.

Entitled “The History of the Shop We Knew as Binns”, the talk will trace the fascinating history of the listed building over the years, explore what people bought in the store and re-live some of the memories of the people who worked and shopped there.

Admission is £1 and places must be booked in advance by calling (01429) 272905 or emailing central.library@hartlepool.gov.uk

Jackie Johnson, Library Officer at Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Lots of people will fondly remember the Binns department store which was a household name for many, many years until its closure in the early 1990s.

“The illustrated presentation is a chance to take a nostalgic step back in time and remember this much-loved shop in its heyday.”

The store that was to become Binns was built in 1902 and originally known as Gray Peverell. It initially took up much of the Victoria Road block between Swainson Street and Stockton Street, and was later extended to take in the whole block.

The shop flourished and was bought by Sunderland businessman H Binns in 1926 as part of his growing empire of department stores. Although the Binns name remained on the stores, the company was taken over by House of Fraser in 1953. The town’s Middleton Grange Shopping Centre was built around Binns and it formed an integral part of the mall. It closed its doors for the last time in June 1992 and the ground-floor of the Grade II listed building became occupied by Wilkinsons in 1995.