Wells. A. E.
106 St. Philips Road
Cycles and Gramophones. Cycling suits to measure.
I have an 8″ sleeve for this shop which dates it to pre-WW1. Alfred Edwards Wells had a number of shops, latterly selling toys etc. in Walkley.
Wilkinson, L & A
26 Norfolk Market Hall, Sheffield
Norfolk Market Hall had at least two other record stalls, Gillibrand’s and Rodgers, the latter at 25. I assume Wilkinson’s, at 26, was there either before or after Rodgers. They label themselves “The Original Gramophone Shop”, which suggests trying to get one over on a rival! But given the market for records, it’s quite possible there were a couple of dealers there at the same time. This sleeve turned up only recently, which suggests fewer survive. The Market Hall itself was demolished at the end of the 1950s.
Williams, Walter
783 Chesterfield Road
Records, gramophones and repairs. “You may hear any record without being under an obligation to purchase.”
Listed in the Sheffield & District Trades Directory 1927-28 at this address, the business was establish in 1905 and is still operating as an electrical retailer at the same address. They no longer sell records!
Wigfalls / Wigfall & Son Ltd. Hy.
54 Infirmary Road, 564 Langsett Road, 64 London Road, 643 London Road, 133 & 135 Spital Hill, 564 Attercliffe Road and more.
Our terms are wonderful, est over 30 years.
Records and gramophones.
Wigfalls (the Firth Park branch is show above) was a chain of shops in Sheffield (started around 1880 by Henry Wigfall if their “established 30 years” strapline on the sleeve is accurate) that sold all kinds of electrical items and household goods. Items could be bought on hire purchase and a collector would call weekly for payments. The records were a sideline designed to help sales of record players. The firm also manufactured some items locally including bikes for some reason (know locally as Wiggies Gas Pipes as they used thick metal tubing to make them rather than proper bike weight metal!). They were also agents for Gilbert gramophone players, made in Sheffield from 1922 – 1931. The firm expanded into Leeds, York, Barnsley, Worksop, Rotherham, Mansfield, Nottingham and Chesterfield. Wigfalls actually bought out Currys in the late 1970s and rebranded most of the old Wigfall shops. They in turn were bought out in 1988 by Dixon’s.
Wilson Peck Limited
Pianofortes by all The Worlds Leading Manufacturers. Wireless and radiograms. Service agents. Cash or easy terms.
Above. The first known advert for the shop, dated 1897.
A real household name in Sheffield for the best part of 100 years, Wilson Pecks was the place to go for instruments, sheet music, records and concert tickets. Formed following a merger of their respective businesses by two piano retailers Arthur Wilson and John Peck in 1892 (the adverts below are from 1891 and show them as rivals in the city centre), they opened at Beethoven House on Pinstone Street around 1896 (now the central branch of Barclays Bank).
They then moved across the road to a five floor shop on the corner of Leopold Street and Barkers Pool (1905/06 directory), also named Beethoven House and operated from there right through until 1988. At the height of their business they also had smaller shops on London Road (which closed in the late 1960s), Ecclesall Road and a branch in Nottingham. Fondly remembered by musicians and record buyers it’s not clear what led to the central shop downsizing but they moved to a much smaller shop on Rockingham Gate, and stopped selling records altogether. A few years later the owner retired and Wilson Pecks opened a tiny shop with about two pianos in it on Abbeydale Road, then closed for good in 2001.
Windmill Records, The Wicker, Sheffield
Opened by Michael Kersey in 1975, a specialist oldies shop with thousands of 45s and other material, which was great for browsing though. Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley were regulars! There was a big painting of Elvis in the window. Michael later moved his shop and renamed it Hitsville. Hitsville (see under H) had to close due to rising rents, and the shop window was usually full of Sheffield band’s 45s. Windmill on The Wicker was then later reopened by one of his assistants, Ken, who renamed it Kenny’s Records. Windmill also did mail order and record fairs. The Wicker shop building is still there. Windmill is still active (2019) as a mail order retailer (https://www.windmill-records.co.uk/)
Wood. A.
277 South Road, Walkley.
Gramophone and electrical dealer. We are out to satisfy you.
This address (and motto) are the same as Angell’s. Angell’s opened a shop at this address, so may have sold the business later to A. Wood. The shop has been converted into a residential property.
Wood, Mrs. M. L.
16 Holme Lane
“Newsagent, Stationer & Toy Dealer.” But also an agent for Duophone and Broadcast brand records. One suspects the records were sideline for a while. The pastoral idyll on the sleeve is a stock image but this sort of illustration is quite common on the older sleeves. 16 is still standing albeit with a refurbished facade, currently a bridal shop, but was still a newsagents into the early 2000s
Wordsworth. S.
20 Clarkehouse Road
Gramophone and wireless supplies. All the latest successes.
This property is still there but has always been a house so the business must have been run from the front room.
