Photos and articles about Brighton and Hove in the time of coronavirus. See our collection and add your own!

Bond Street in the 1960s

Developed in the second half of the eighteenth century, Bond Street was the first road built northwards from North Street. The town commissioners renamed it New Street in May 1794, but it reverted to its original name when the New Road opened nearby in 1805.

The first photograph shows numbers 12 and 13 which were originally two private houses; they were the offices of the Corporation Water department for more than a century. Aird & Co is number 14.

Do you remember Bond Street in the 1960/70s? What other shops do you remember? If you can share your memories with us, please leave a comment below.

Bond Street showing Aird & Co at number 14; c1967
Image reproduced with kind permission of The Regency Society and The James Gray Collection
Bond Street photographed in 2012
Photo by Tony Mould

Comments about this page

  • I used to go to Bond Street quite a lot in the 60s. I bought all my studs from Friends leather shop, they were for my leather jacket. I’ve still got it with most of the studs etc on it. I was a Rocker of course & still biking at 63!  Don’t wear my jacket now as bike clothing has moved on – and so have I.

    By Anne Newman (27/09/2012)
  • I too used to visit Bond Street in the 60s. I am amazed to see that Aird & Co are still doing business. A wonderful tool shop that sold an amazing stock of professional scissors; I can remember buying a pair of left-handed scissors (no joke, try using a pair) and they were always willing to reset and sharpen them. A wonderful shop.

    By Ron Burtenshaw (28/09/2012)
  • I remember that John King Films Camera shop was either next door or close to Aird’s (they also had a shop in (Little) East Street. When I first started work as an trainee accountant, we used to visit the shop to audit the books.

    By Martin White (29/09/2012)
  • There was another camera and film shop called, I think, Cameron Yorke. Don’t know if my spelling is correct on this, it was a long time ago.

    By Dennis Fielder (29/09/2012)
  • Quite correct Dennis, I bought my first SLR camera there, one of the first Practika’s.

    By Barrie Searle (02/10/2012)
  • Another thing I remember is that Airds had another very small shop at one time in Ship Street facing the Post Office, I think they then moved to the bigger shop in Bond street, its hard to remember exactly as its over 50 yrs ago. I used to go to Meads a lot as a kid as my stepfather was a bit of a totter and bought and sold stuff at the auction rooms

    By Dennis Fielder (03/10/2012)
  • My great grandmother, Elizabeth Ottaway lived at 7 Bond St. with her parents and siblings during the 1860s and her parents stayed there until about 1881. Her father, Walter, was a tailor, not sure if the business was run from the home. Attached photo is of 7 Bond St. when it was Bagel Bakery, don’t know when this was taken as it was forwarded to me. Not sure if I’d want to buy my bagels there, but maybe I’m misjudging it!

    By Wendy Ward (27/10/2012)
  • 12 Bond Street until 1967 was the Water Works HQ. My grandparents, Arthur and Agnes Peters, with daughters Mary, Florence and Patricia, lived in a house within the grounds.

    By Wayne Claridge (17/08/2013)
  • I have a boutique at 23 Bond Street, I know the shop before me was a costume jewellery shop. The building is very interesting with many original features. I’d love to see some old images of the building and any history or memories of previous businesses. Can anyone help? Thanks

    By Linda Johnson (17/09/2014)
  • Hi Jennifer, it’s amazing to see Bond Street in the sixties.

    By Sharon (04/03/2017)
  • I first started work in 1958 for W H Fellingham and sons Heating and plumbing engineers at number 8 Bond Street opposite the stage door of the Theatre Royal at a time when you were able to park cars and motor bikes anywhere with no restrictions.The company moved to Richardson Road Hove in later years and unfortunately ceased trading in the middle eighties.In their heyday they carried out works for most of the stores Hanningtons Vokins etc now all gone and the banks in North Street and of course all over Sussex.Brian Clark

    By Brian Clark (23/07/2017)
  • When we were children in the 1950s, we went to church in Bond Street, at Bond Street Salem chapel with Pastor Carter and a man we called Uncle Ted.

    By Wendy Hall (08/11/2017)
  • Does anyone remember Kays Café at 21 Bond Street next-door to the William the Fourth pub? My grandfather Percival Roy owned and ran it from about 1950 to 1962. Some one must remember him. He took it on as a retirement business but it became so busy half the family had to work to help out. He used to get many customers from the theatre round the corner. I remember him selling many meat and two veg dinners. I have a picture from about 1960 I will post in when I find it.

    By Laurence Roy (16/12/2017)
  • I worked in John King (Films) Ltd Camera shop in the early 1970s. The manager was a lovely guy called Don Tombs. I still have fond memories of that time. We used to get well known actors from the Theatre Royal coming in the shop sometimes as well as “characters” from the streets to the north.

    By Robert Lincoln (19/07/2018)
  • I bought my first 0 – 1″ micrometer at Airds in 1964 and i’ve still got it.

    By Geoffrey Lindfield (05/03/2019)
  • My father owned a camera shop at 6, Bond Street. I remember as a child getting sweets from Babs who had a sweet shop across the road, and leather shop where I got leather for belts and studs further down the road. It was a great road to live in, many memories of the good times from 1956 onwards.

    By Julie Atkinson (19/01/2020)
  • Who remembers Ananda’s at number 19 Bond Street ( now Taylors tobacco 2021) I used to go in there occasionally in 1974-75. A then friend knew the lady who ran the shop and we’d sit out the back now and then. The only picture I can find is on this website under ‘ A family business ‘ page.

    By Chris Johnson (06/02/2021)
  • My Grandparents owned 17/18 Bond Street, ‘Mead & Co; Premier Brighton Removers & Auctioneers’;they were there from1913 until the 1960s. #19 was Mrs Edith Gibbs [always prononunced Jibbs]who sold caged birds and all the sand, millet and bird seed for them. The advert for her shop in trade directories stated-‘Birds, cages, goldfish and aquaria, garden ornaments. Dog food and medicines. Birds attended and boarded’. I was a frequent visitor as we had Joey our house canary to look after. After Mrs Gibb, I think it was an antique business, one of several in the street at various times, named Tudor-Hart.

    By Dr Geoffrey Mead (06/02/2021)
  • Hi, I’m Douglas Crook, my parents David and Elizabeth(Betty) Crook had 2 shops in Bond St, No 16 from about 1948 until 1987 & No 23 from about 1956 to roughly late 70’s. No 16 was used I believe as their Fancy Goods shop ( they manufactured fancy goods in a factory in Jew St, just above Bond St, accessed via lane between John Kings & Airds or off Church St) until they leased it to Harry & Valerie Woolf who were antique dealers from 1957 until around early 70’s. They then leased No 23, can’t recall the landlord, but it was Izzy Greenberg the bakers who had it prior. They then ran it as an antique shop, interesting that they had competition from opposite, but similar businesses attract plenty of customers so it works especially if you are fair & honest. I remember Meads, was the owner Chatfield? I remember Julie Yorke from No 6, her parents often came to social gatherings at both No 16 & 23 as did many other folks and business owners, my mum loved entertaining & cooking, many customers came both to buy and tea and cake etc. Edith Hart did take over in No 19, also antiques. Unbeknown to me and as far as I know my parents, she was a member of the Infamous spy ring that included Burgess & Maclean (Spycatcher).
    Near to the bank on corner was Bishops, the overall & workwear shop.
    Next door to Fellinghams was a small shop & an alleyway leading to some old cottages used as store rooms by John Olson from Sweden, he dealt in old arms and large clocks. I always remember he was like a giant to me and would carry big loads down the street on his shoulders. He use to go to Lewes to an auction house there to buy weapons. Then next to the alley was another shop and then another that sold dunlopillow and foam etc. Then next to that was the Brighton Corporation water board which was demolished and remained a rough ground car park for many years, my dad had a space there, cheaper than loads of parking tickets even though wardens were usually very accommodating in those days. Next door to No 23 heading towards North St was the Dental Supply Co & then Mary Black dress shop, can’t recall the next few but included a pub, Wheatsheaf? & Friends. Heading towards Gardiner St was the vacuum & washing repair shop run by Peter Todd ( I worked there part time for a while), was then a stamp shop run by Mr Vorley, then there was the cafe & then the George the IV run by Dick & Marlene ( surname’s gone).
    Back down past the theatre stage door I’m sure there was a tv type shop, another shop and as someone mentioned a sweet shop. If I remember I helped fit out the sweet shop & maybe the adjacent one to become a clothes shop over a couple of weekends while struggling with a tooth abscess, finally it got sorted on a Sunday morning by a Mr Hole (dentist in hove & hassocks) for £2, I’d have paid considerably more to have that pain relief, I doubt I’d get that sort of service now.
    Was there a grocers a couple of doors along below the block of flats, Simmie Lewis lived there, he was a bookmaker & you’d often see him go off to race meetings with his trusty bag, he went nearly everywhere by train unless in later times his son David might drive him.
    I’m sure I’ll be able to add more in the future, might see if I can find a few photos.
    Happy if anyone wants to contact me via this site, is there a notification process available when new posts are added?
    Regards, Doug.

    By Douglas Crook (20/03/2021)
  • Hi Douglas
    That is a fantastic account of Bond Street! I could have done with seeing that last year as I have just finished writing a long piece of research for the Sussex Industrial History journal about the history of Bond Street. As you can see from above in the string of comments my family were part of Bond Street [Mead & Co] from about 1913 until the 1960s. Incidentally the pub on the corner was Willam IV not George IV…one monarch out!
    Can you contact me sometime please-g.mead@sussex.ac.uk.

    By Dr Geoffrey Mead (21/03/2021)
  • Hi @ Geoffrey Mead and @ Douglas Crook.
    Thank you so much for these wonderful accounts of Bond Street which I have only just found. Douglas, I wonder if you have any memories of Edith Tudor-Hart? What was she like? What did she sell in her antique shop? I was friends with her brother, Wolf Suschitzky – like his sister Edith he was a photographer – and became a very well-known cameraman. Wolf died at the age of 104 in 2016. I’d be very interested in any anecdotes or stories about Edith – who sadly died relatively young, in 1973 of cancer – at the age of 64.

    By Julia Winckler (17/05/2021)
  • Hi Doug Crook, this is Dave Lewis used to live at number 40 Bond Street in one of the flats there we used to play football and cricket together in Jew Street with some other friends Your mother and father came to our wedding in July 1973 at Sussex Uni campus site. My wife’s name is Pam. Did you get married? Would love to chat or meet with you Dave Lewis x. 28/10/21

    By Dave Lewis (28/10/2021)
  • In 1960 I attended Brighton Secondary Technical School where we had two options after the first year, either engineering or building. I chose the building course and was required to have a bib and brace overall for woodwork supervised by ‘Spud’ Taylor. The overalls came from Bishops (The Overall Shop) Limited at 3, 4 and 5 Bond Street. I still have and regularly use mine. Things used to last in those days!

    By TONY COLES (19/02/2022)
  • Hello, Dave Lewis,I lived in the flat above your parents at 40 Bond Street. My cats used to spend all day with your parents, I remember Sim very well, lovely neighbours to have.

    By Linda Tapsell (18/08/2022)
  • Douglas Cook,
    Hi,
    Did you live in the flat above 23 Bind street?
    While I had my shop and home there 2011. – 2021 a man came in and told me he used to live there and his dad had put the bathroom in using panelling from a building that was being demolished. I could never remember what the building was and, even though I’ve retired now and a new family is living and working there I’d still love to know.
    I loved no. 23, it always felt like a special place, when the new tenants came to look round they said it had a lovely feeling.

    By Linda Johnson (17/03/2023)
  • In response to Linda Johnson’s enquiry about her shop on New Bond Street, it was indeed a costume jeweller’s called FIOR in the 70’s, owned by the Feldman family & run by Michael their son.
    I worked there for a year in 1971 while looking for a job in advertising. It was very popular with the rich & famous who would buy jewellery without anyone realising it was fake. Some years later they moved from jewellery to Celine shoes & bags. Always walk past it when in London – happy memories!

    By John Hudson (22/03/2023)
  • John Hudson, I think you may have mis-read Linda Johnson’s comment; this page is about Bond Street in central Brighton…not New Bond Street in Central London! I was intrigued as my family were in business in Bond Street for obver 50 years and there was certainly a number of Jewish traders, so the name Feldman caught my eye.

    By Dr Geoffrey Mead (22/03/2023)
  • Apologies misread!

    By John Hudson (22/03/2023)
  • Hello, has anybody got any knowledge of a shop/ fashion line called “Matisse of Bond Street” in the 60s?
    Thank you!

    By Nia T (04/09/2023)
  • Nia
    This is highly unlikely to be Bond Street Brighton, but most probably Bond St in London’s West End which is and was then a name for fashion and high end selling.

    By Dr Geoffrey Mead (04/09/2023)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.