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Behind the counter / Hessle Road, Hull
Shops We Remember
Boyes, Henry Hird, Woolworths and Premier: names that bring whole shopping trips back to life.
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Our illustrated heritage collection.Read the story alongside the artwork.
Researched 10 October 2026 · A growing community archive
01
Boyes - on Hessle Road since 1920
Boyes opened its Hessle Road store in 1920, a date confirmed by the company in its anniversary announcement. Its broad range of fabrics, household goods and other everyday purchases makes it a fitting starting point for our shopping memories collection. What did you buy there, and who did you go with?
02
Henry Hird Jewellers - 270 Hessle Road
The business was founded in Hull in 1852, originally on Cumberland Street. Its own history describes customers drawn from the fishing and maritime community. The later Hessle Road premises are part of the road's built heritage: Hull City Council added No. 270 to its Local Heritage List in 2025. The foundation date should not be mistaken for the date it moved to Hessle Road.
03
Woolworths - 306-310 Hessle Road
The former Woolworths branch is recorded at 306-310 Hessle Road in retail-history research. Our illustration uses sweets, toys, stationery and household goods to evoke the variety-store experience. These are symbolic illustrations, rather than a reconstruction of this branch's exact stock or interior. Do you have a photograph, receipt or memory of working there?
04
Premier Work & Leisure - 152-154 Hessle Road
Premier occupied the distinctive corner building at Coltman Street, formerly the Public Benefit Shoe Company shop. Historic England dates the Grade II listed building to 1896. Hull Civic Society records Premier's long footwear tradition and the shop's closure in July 2018. Its work boots and practical clothing connect shopping with the working life of the road.
Your part of the story
What do you remember?
Send a photograph, family memory, name or correction. Include the place, approximate date, the people you recognise and permission to publish.Email Info@hessleroad.com ↗Contribution guidance →Research sources & illustration notes
The goods evoke these types of shops. Decorative name panels are part of the artwork; they do not reproduce archival signage, a branch’s exact interior or a documented stock list. Henry Hird’s 1852 foundation was on Cumberland Street, not at the later Hessle Road premises.
Boyes: the company's own anniversary announcement confirms that its Hessle Road store opened in 1920. ↗
Henry Hird: the business's own history confirms its 1852 foundation and original Cumberland Street location. ↗
Hull City Council: No. 270 added to the Local Heritage List in March 2025. ↗
Woolworths: address and retail succession discussed by Graham Soult, 7 November 2011. ↗
Additional Woolworths address research: Woolies Buildings - Then and Now, Store 169. The 1936 directory gives 308-310; the wider 306-310 address reflects a later extension. ↗
Premier: Hull Civic Society newsletter, March 2019, page 21, records its occupation and July 2018 closure. ↗
Public Benefit Shoe Company building: Historic England list entry 1025257, 152 and 154 Hessle Road; built 1896, Grade II. ↗
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Hessle Road: Then & Now ↗A Walk Through History ↗View all 18 illustrated stories →
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