Cole Brothers, Fargate

[Ponytail]

 Brothers John and Thomas Cole opened their first premises 1847 in Fargate, joined soon after by another brother, Skelton. Over the years, expanded extended, survived WWII German Bombers until in September 1963 they moved from their iconic "Coles Corner" to a new building in Barkers Pool. 

https://www.chrishobbs.com/sheffield/colescorner.htm

 

Whites Directory 1849

Cole Brothers (John, Thomas and Skelton) silk mercers and hosiers &etc. 4 Fargate. 

 

Whites Directory 1852

Cole Brothers (John, Thomas & Skelton) drapers & mercers, 4 Fargate

Cole, John, draper, h. The Banks, Leadmill Road. 

Cole, Thomas, draper, h. Spring Terrace, Glossop Road. 

 

Whites Directory 1856

Cole Bros, drapers, silk mercers & carpet & etc., dealers, 4 Fargate. 

Cole, John, h. 6 St. George's Terrace. 

Cole, Thomas, draper h. Westgrove Place, Winter Street. 

Cole, Skelton, h. Clough Bank. 

 

Expanded into another shop 2 doors away at No. 8

Whites Directory 1862

Cole Brothers, wholesale and retail drapers, hosiers, haberdashers, lacemen & general furnishing warehouse, 4 and 8 Fargate. 

Cole, John, draper, (Cole Brothers) h. Wilkinson Street. 

Cole, Skelton, draper (Cole Brothers) 1 Wilkinson Street. 

Cole, Thomas, draper, (Cole Brothers) 18 Northumberland Road. 

 

In 1869 they needed to extend further and occupied properties on Church Street as well as Fargate, the only way then was extending upwards adding more storeys and design a new impressive frontage. 

 

Fargate shop before expansion

s15628      See Local Studies: Brief article in Newspaper Cutting relating to Sheffield Vol. 49 page 22. 

 

Cole Brothers  1st March 1873

Picture Sheffield  s10512

Cole Brothers at the junction of Fargate left and Church Street right. 

 

Advertisement Whites Directory 1879

Whites Directory 1879

Cole Bros., drapers, silk mercers, shawl, mantle & carpet warehouseman, bonnet and sewing machine agent, 1 to 4 Church Street and 2, 4, 6 & 8 Fargate. 

Cole, John, (Bros) h. Prior Bank, Cherrytree Road. 

Cole, Skelton, (Bros) h. Broomhill House, 387 Glossop Road. 

Cole, Thomas, (Bros) h. Archer House Abbeydale Road. 

 

21st May 1897 Decorated for the Royal Visit of Queen Victoria

w00253

 

December 1897 Advertisement for Sportswear. "Sole makers to the Sheffield United Club." 

y15054

Skelton Cole (died 1896) didn't live to see the business incorporated in 1898.    Brother John died 1898

Tramtrack laying 1898.

y00610

Two sons of the brothers, Thomas and Thomas Skelton took over the reins of the business.

 

2nd September 1899 Advertisement for Sportswear. Special terms for clubs. "Sole makers to the Sheffield United Club" 

y15100    Original in Local Studies SY221/1 page 2.

Coles Corner decorated for the Royal Visit of Edward VII & Queen Aexandra 1905.

p01342   Postcard part of the Tim Hale Collection

Outside lighting by flame arc lamps. 1906

u08183

Coles Corner a meeting place for many a Sheffielder. Even after the building has long since been replaced, still referred to as Coles Corner. 

s10507

 

Saw this on the Internet, reminding me Coles had their Upholstering Department on Norfolk Street for some years. 

 

Cole  Brothers Advertisement in Pageant of Peace Programme 1919

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;arc00053&pos=279&action=zoom&id=90290

 

Taken over by Selfridges 1919

 

Advertisement 1923

y04991

 

Programme for Staff Dinner Dance Thursday 11th March 1937

y12641 & y12642   Original Sheffield Local Studies MP 5008 S

 

Cole Brothers Ltd., King George VI Coronation Gala, Sports Ground, Tom Lane. 6th May 1937

y12644   Original, Local Studies MP 5009 S

 

My mother made all our clothes and rarely took me shopping so it was a big treat to accompany her into "Coles" to buy some of my Grammar School Uniform. 1n 1963 we were the last new school intake to buy their uniform from the Old Coles Department Store before they relocated to Barkers Pool.

"Auntie Elsie" my Godmother had worked at Coles for a number years in the "Alterations Department and I got the impression she had mixed feelings, coming to the end of her working life, having such an upheavel and retired not long afterwards. 

 

History of Cole Brothers/John Lewis Partnership. 

https://sheffielder.net/2020/02/07/cole-brothers-3/

 

[Ponytail]

The Cole Brothers 

https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=659

 

Oldest Brother, John Cole (1814 -1898) 

s08839

Another photograph of John Cole

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y06909&pos=60&action=zoom&id=98905

 

Unable to locate a photograph of Thomas Cole  (1824-1902)

 

Skelton Cole (1827-1896)

y12514    Original in Local Studies  MP 6729 M

 

Thomas Skelton Cole (1853-1930) son of Skelton Cole

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y14892&pos=6&action=zoom&id=147202

 

Local Studies Sheffield Telegraph Obituary Index. 

Skelton Cole JP   of Cole Brothers 3rd April 1896

John Cole   of Cole Brothers 15th May 1898

Thomas Cole   of Cole Brothers 8th November 1902

Mrs. Mary Cole  widow of Thomas co founder of Cole Brothers. 15th September 1923.

Thomas Skelton Cole  of the Cole Brothers Family. 18th September 1930.

Thomas Cole  of the Cole Brothers Family, benefactor of the Victoria Hall. 24th February 1931.

Major A. V. Cole Former Director of Cole Brothers Ltd. 24th July 1943.

Arthur V Cole. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y05243&pos=283&action=zoom&id=93792

 

 

[SteveHB]

https://www.ebay.co.uk

[tozzin]

“Right I’ll see you on Coles Corner” how many times has that been said to girlfriends, mates or family, everybody knew this meeting place,  No 7 Endcliffe Crescent, which was the home of Thomas Cole, now its part of Birkdale School, (I have used some of Chris Hobbs biography of the brothers that can be found on his excellent website about people and places in Sheffield.) The Cole Brothers, John, Thomas and Skelton, were born sons of a shoemaker, they were born respectively in 1814, 1824 and 1827. The two elder boys were both apprenticed to drapers and by 1847 felt they had enough experience to open their own business, at 4 Fargate. They described themselves as `Silk Mercers and Hosiers` and were soon joined by their younger sibling Skelton. The business had expanded considerably, occupying premises in Fargate and Church Street, and the brothers had now become `Silk Mercers, Shawl, Mantle and Carpet Warehousemen, Bonnet Makers and Sewing Machine Agents`. Between 1896 and 1902 all three brothers had died, Skelton died on the 3rd of April 1896 aged 69, John died on the 15th of May 1898 aged 84 and Thomas died on the 8th of November 1902 aged 78. They had seen their drapers shop develop into one of the foremost businesses in the city. `Coles Corner` had become a favourite meeting place and the building was one of Sheffield's best known and well-loved landmarks. The business had grown so much that in 1869, a rebuild of the stores was commissioned with a new frontage and an extra two storeys. The business continued to expand with further stores added, and rebuilt to match the architecture of the store, and by 1898 the business was incorporated. In 1898 the business was registered as a limited company and it was the next generation of Cole sons that took the enterprise into the new century. The business continued to be run by the Cole family, with two sons of the brothers Thomas and Thomas Skelton taking over the reins. By 1909, the business had started employing women, which was to be a benefit with the outbreak of World War One looming. The business had also grown to local prominence with locals regarding the area as Cole's Corner, something that lives on to today. Technology was at the forefront of the store, with delivery vans being added in 1911, while the first cash registers arrived in 1916. Little is known about the effects of the First World War on the family or the business, but in 1918 sales topped £200,000 for the first time. By then the two `young Mr. Coles` were in their mid-sixties, and had in their turn become pillars of the local community. In 1919 they sold the business to The store continued to grow with a further two storeys being added to the store in 1920, however in the same year the business was sold to Gordon Selfridge. 
Going back in time in 1862 John Cole was living at 1 Wilkinson Street seems his brother Skelton was living with him, unfortunately the house has been demolished, brother Thomas was living at 18 Northumberland Road, still there, by 1879 the brothers moved to better properties, John had moved to Prior Bank on Cherrytree Road, Skelton had acquired his own home, Broomhill House at 387 Glossop Road, still there and Thomas moved to Archer House on Abbeydale Road. John’s home is now part of Prior Bank Care Home. With the benefit of hindsight, the complete refurbishment of the old store on Fargate was a terrible mistake, to lose a beautiful Victorian building for the ugly building that replaced it was sheer lunacy, my view I must add,  Coles Corner is now losing the kudos it once had, it’s the older end of the people of Sheffield who still hold good memories of the meeting place, the younger end, through no fault of their own I might add, have no idea just how famous the area was. Today Coles trade under the name John Lewis but they are still affectionally called Coles, the store is bright, full of quality goods and very helpful staff, my two “Are You Being Served” pals Mr D and Mr S were engaged as window dressers but again they didn’t quite grasp what the job entailed, they were shown the door for dressing themselves in the widow and they are not a pretty sight to see  in their combinations  with the rear escape hatch!
John Lewis did remain the best store in the city until it closed in 2021, it had  no equals as the rest of the stores just don’t come up to the standard that was first set by the Cole brothers John, Thomas and Skelton all those years ago, well done lads.

 

[Ponytail]

Thanks Tozzin, I was hoping someone could link the houses they lived in to the business. Think it's important these are remembered and where possible a photograph or sketch as well. 

[tozzin]

1 hour ago, Ponytail said:

Thanks Tozzin, I was hoping someone could link the houses they lived in to the business. Think it's important these are remembered and where possible a photograph or sketch as well. 

I’m 100% behind you Ponytail, I have already donated around 500 photos to the Sheffield archives , not just of the houses of the men and women who shaped this city but of parts of houses like the window on the side of of Thomas Cole’s home but sadly it’s very small minority like the people on this forum but the people who have power to help to stop the destruction of our important workshops and houses just don’t care .