A popular local city centre department store on Angle Street, Cockaynes opened at a drapers in 1829 and was a full department store by 1899. The building was destroyed in the blitz but rebuilt after the war between 1949 and 1955 (when the final floors were added.) Like many shops they had their own record department at least by the 1950s selling 78s, and then singles.
Eventually printed up ‘master bags’ to keep track of titles in stock as above, but before that the company name T B & W Cockayne was just rubber stamped on the sleeve as below. We can date this to 1958 as the writing in the corner gives the catalogue number for an EP by Les Compagnons De La Chanson, a French group who issued a 4 track EP that year sung in English. 5/- to you (25p). The shop was taken over by Schofields in 1972 but closed ten years later. Premises still there.
Back to the list of Record Shops and Music Shops – if you have any information or images about this shop, we’d love to hear from you.
