Registration number:

Company name: Chiesman Brothers
Dates in business: 1884-1929

Type of business: drapers

Type of company: Partnership

Locations:

• High Street, Lewisham, Kent, England

Management of company

The first two partners were the brothers Frank and Harry Chiesman. After the First World War, the brothers' sons, Stewart, Russell and Harold, also entered the business.

Company history

In September 1884, the two brothers, Frank and Harry Chiesman, acquired the small drapery shop of Cross Brothers at 59 High Street, Lewisham. The store was known locally as Paris House and specialised in the sales of remnants and job lots. Gradually, the business diversified away from drapery to the sale of new lines, such as stationery, toys, furniture and boots and shoes. In 1899, waiting rooms and tearooms were opened. Several neighbouring shops were acquired to house this expansion. By 1908, the store occupied 41-59 High Street and comprised premises across a dividing lane which were joined to the building by a new subway. As the store's trade in furnishings and removals increased, a number of properties were acquired to use as furniture depositories. These included the Old Road Institute in Lee in 1900, a site in the High Street (where stables were also erected) in 1901, and the East London Industrial School in 1920. Growth was checked by the outbreak of the First World War. In 1921, the construction of a new store was begun.

In 1929, the company was incorporated as a limited liability company and renamed Chiesmans Ltd.

Access points: Drapers - Retail trade