Photographs

Cheltenham: The Famous

Shops

The first installation in Bristol (a cash ball system) was at Jones & Co. in February 1886.

BRISTOL. Alexandra, Whiteladies Road. "If the takings at the 'Alexandra' first day of sale are to be taken as a criterion, those who prophesy greatly increased trade in 1937 appear to be on safe ground. A few minutes in the cash desk amid the clatter of the pneumatic cash carriers .. was an exhilarating experience." Western Daily Press and Bristol Mirror, 1 Jan. 1937, p.4

BRISTOL. Bendalls, North Street. "For sale, Lamson cash railway, rapid wire system. Can be seen working. - Bendall's Stores." Western Daily Press, 30 Jan. 1907, p.1

BRISTOL. F.J. Bobby, Queen's Road, Clifton. "Bristol's new fashion store... In the basement [is] .. the vacuum cleaner and cash tube machine. The last is a remarkable piece of apparatus. In the day time it is used to work the system by which cash is conveyed from the various departments in small tubes to those responsible for giving change to the customer, and at night it works vacuum cleaners for the carpets, two men being employed in this work every night." Western Daily Press, 15 Mar. 1928, p. 8

BRISTOL. Bon Marché, Clifton. "The enterprising proprietors of the Bon Marché have been the first in Clifton to adopt this novel and ingenious invention." Western Daily Press, 19 Apr. 1886, p. 5

BRISTOL. Brights. "A junior cashier required for their cash tube office." Western Daily Press, 26 Feb. 1940, p. 2

BRISTOL. Carlile, 201 Hotwell Road. "Smart, reliable lad for cash desk; railway system." Western Daily Press, 19 Nov. 1889, p. 2

BRISTOL. Co-op, corner of Newfoundland Road and St Nicholas Road. Wire system. Jeff Knaggs autobiography

BRISTOL. Co-op, Gloucester Road, near Monks Park Avenue. Wire system in late 1940s. (M.Batchelor)

BRISTOL. Co-op, Lawrence Hill. "Wanted, lady cashier for new central premises. Experiebce of the Lamson Pneumatic Tube System essential." Western Daily Press, 17 Jan. 1930, p. 2

BRISTOL. Clouds Hill Co-op, Old St George. "The transfer of bill and cash to cashier by the means of an overhead rail system generated by a spring handle." Bristol Evening Post, 28 Sep. 1999, p.2/3

BRISTOL. Co-op, Southmead. "Money was sent to the cash desk in a box on an overhead wire, checks and change returning the same way." (Bristol Evening Post, 1 Oct. 2002, p.53)

BRISTOL. Central Co-op, Castle Street. Opened 29 March 1930. "A pneumatic cash carrier system serves all floors." (Bristol Evening Post, 16 July 2002, p.51 quoting from a contemporary magazine)

BRISTOL. Co-op, High Street, Winterbourne. "The main food shop in Winterbourne was the Co-op in the High Street... Inside the shop counters were arranged in the form of an open square... In the corner between the fats counter and the haberdashery was the cashier's kiosk, raised up a few feet above the level of the shop floor. It was connected to the counters by a system of overhead wires which carried little wooden cash canisters to and fro. You chose what goods you wanted, then paid the cashier who put a slip with the account and your payment in one of these canisters which was then screwed up into its lid which was fixed to the wire and whizzed across the customers’ heads to the cashier, who checked it, and put in any change, and whizzed it back." Winterbourne Childhood, 1940s-1950s

BRISTOL. Crump & Crump, Linen & Manchester Warehouse, Stokes Croft. "The Meteor Cash Railway being now installed upon their premises they are able to serve their customers with the utmost promptitude and attention." Harfield and Bishopston Record, 23 Jun. 1906, p. 1

BRISTOL. E.J. Dimmer (provisions and groceries). "Shop and office fittings... Cash railway as fitted, £5." Western Daily Press, 24 Oct. 1923, p. 4 [Name of the shop is taken from a photograph of 1910. It was R. & J. Dick in 1941.]

BRISTOL. Hinces (drapers), Stapleton Road. Wire system. Bristol Evening Post, 8 Feb. 2000

BRISTOL. Jones. "Mesrs. Jones and Co. have, with their usual enterprise, been the first in Bristol to make use of the Lamson Store Company's (of New York and London) invention for carrying cash to their desks, without the necessity of their assistants moving from the places alloted to them." Bristol Times and Mirror, 24 Feb. 1886, p. 5

BRISTOL. Lock and Sons, 64-66 East Street, Bedminster. "Edward T. Parker & Co. (having let the premises to a well-known multiple firm) have received instructions from Messrs Lock and Sons, who are transferring the business to their other branch at 81, East Street, to sell by auction .. the fixtures and fittings, comprising .. Gipe Cash Carrier System." Western Daily Press, 25 Jan. 1941, p.1

BRISTOL. Miles. "What about Miles on the London Inn, I saved in their Club for my bottom drawer! They were the last retailers I remember that had the overhead system to send customers money to the cashiers cubby hole at the rear of the store. Pure magic to a child!" Janet Cuff in posting to BRISTOL_AND_DISTRICT-L, 2/6/08

BRISTOL. Niehus Bros. "Edward T. Parker and Co. (having sold the property and business of Messrs Niehus Bros) have received instructions to sell by auction .. the fixtures and fittings, including .. Lamson Cash Carrier." Western Daily Press, 21 Nov. 1931, p. 1

BRISTOL. George Pine & Sons. Four propulsions (Gipe?) in store at Bristol Museums.

BRISTOL. ?, 195 Gloucester Road "For sale... Berkel bacon slicer, £25 or near; cash railway as fitted, £5." Western Daily Press, 25 Oct. 1923, p. 1

CHELTENHAM. "The Famous" (gentleman's outfitter), High Street. Lamson pneumatic tube system in full working order with eight Pneu Art terminals. Robin Adcroft and my visit on 19/4/10. Photographs . Moved out in 2012 - Video of BBC News item

CHELTENHAM. Gloucester Co-operative and Industrial Society, 89 High Street. "The note and a ticket for 6s. 11d. were placed in a cash carrier and despatched to the cash office." Gloucester Citizen, 18 Feb. 1929, p.7
• "The Gloucester Co-operatuve and Industrial SocietyLimited requirre the services of a custodian for its central premises in Cheltenham. Applicants musy have a good knowledge of the maintenance of .. cash tube system, etc." Gloucestershire Echo, 25 Jan. 1947, p. 3

CHELTENHAM. Marshalls. Wire system. The Famous

CHELTENHAM. Shires & Lances (dept. store), adjacent to Promenade. Lamson pneumatic system - mixture of early and Pneu Art terminals. Robin Adcroft

CHELTENHAM. E.L.Wards (dept. store). Became Littlewoods, now Primark. "In 1951 celebrated its 50th anniversary, having 26 departments on three floors... When you paid for your goods at Ward’s, the assistant didn’t put it in a till, instead the money was dropped into a brass cylinder and attached to an overhead wire. The assistant then pulled a chain and the money were whizzed off to the cashier who whizzed back the change." Cheltenham4u website
• Extensive Lamson pneumatic tube system. Shop closed in 1967. Robin Adcroft.

CIRENCESTER. French and Sons. "French and Sons in West Market Place had a sort of overhead system comprising a taut wire that ran from sales desk to the cashier's station; a cage-like booth which was somewhere out of sight in the shop. The sales assistant would put the customers’ money into a cannister attached to the wire and by tugging firmly on a spring-loaded lever, the canister would be catapulted along the wire, reaching its destination in mere seconds. The cashier could then 'return fire' with the change and a receipt." Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard website

CIRENCESTER. Mitchell's. Mitchells drapers in Castle street had a vacuum system where customers’ money would be placed in a cannister, inserted into tubing, to be rapidly sucked though to a distant cashier. Sometimes the capsules would get stuck in the vacuum pipe and the Manager would have to climb amongst the tubing to extricate the capsule. Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard website

COLEFORD. Trotters."Another for uniforms was Trotters in Coleford. Had a system of receipt on wire overhead there." 1940s? Joyce Latham in National Sound Archive

GLOUCESTER. Anchor. "The pneumatic tube system was installed in a number of Gloucester shops... The Anchor men's outfitters at the Cross had one (perhaps the pipe-work is still there.)" Gloucester News, 29 Aug. 1986, p. 3

GLOUCESTER. Bon Marché. "Three miles of tubes... Other installations of an automatic nature which claim interest are the Pneumatic Cash Tubes and Vacuum Cleaning plant. Electrically-driven pumps provide the necessary suction to convey cartridges containing the cash from sales of goods to the cash office in the basement, where it is dealt with by a special staff." Gloucester Journal, 14 Mar. 1931, p. 9
• "Massive Sturtevant system, removed in late 1960s. Extensive overhead pipework was very evident on lower and basement floors." Robin Adcroft

GLOUCESTER. C & A. Cash carrier. Pat Hatch in posting to Facebook.

GLOUCESTER. Co-op, Brunswick Road. "We took her basket and her order for groceries to the Co-op in Brunswick Road (where Boots is now). We loved watching the cash carriers flying through the shop to the cashier’s desk." Gloucester Dial-a-Ride Newsletter, Summer 2004

GLOUCESTER. Dentons. "On the third floor is the enlarged counting house and the cashier's office, which is served by a pneumatic tube cash conveyor system... The motive power for this is supplied by an electric motor which also drives the vacuum cleaner." Gloucester Journal, 24 Apr. 1920, p.3

GLOUCESTER. Rexs, Southgate. Cash Ball system. Said to be the last system running on wooden rails until demolished "a year or so ago" in "This England", 1975.

WINTERBOURNE. Co-op. "The cashier's kiosk, raised up a few feet above the level of the shop floor ... was connected to the counters by a system of overhead wires which carried little wooden cash canisters to and fro." Frenchay Museum Archives