This week we join in with the theme on the Marlow and Chesham pages and take a look at some of the shops which were in Wycombe in the 1950/60s but are no longer trading.

All but one of these pictures feature independent shops which were unique to Wycombe.

The only exception is the one showing the interior of Imperial Stores, which was on the corner of the High St and Corporation St where Santander Bank is now.

TOP: This photograph is a reminder of how the interior of a shop would look before the modern superstore. This is a part of the general grocery department in Imperial Stores, c1950.

MID LEFT: A shop in High Wycombe which was very popular with the ladies of the district was Gladys Falloon, outfitters and milliners. It was very conveniently located on the corner of Easton St and Crendon St.

MID RIGHT: The hugely popular Murrays department store was founded by the Rivett family just after WW2, with the shop first occupying just one unit in White Hart St. In the early 1950s they acquired the Methodist Church next door, having received planning permission to redevelop the interior of the building, but maintain the outer walls etc. This ‘captured in time’ photograph shows how Murrays utilised the building for their toy department one Christmas, before the redevelopment, c.1953.

LEFT: The menswear shop of G A Wood in Church Square provided unique demonstrations of items of men’s clothing actually being made. Here we see sock-making in progress, October 1954. Another demonstration was of neck-ties.

ABOVE: A ‘captured in time’ photograph shows the temporary shops which were erected whilst the redevelopment for The Octagon shopping precinct was underway, January 1968. The Octagon is now incorporated into the Eden shopping mall.