The Woolworths Museum

Interactive 1950s Woolies

See how people shopped over seventy years ago,
soon after World War II

 

A drawing showing the layout of the Portsmouth Woolworth store in 1950. Part of an interactive feature in the Woolworths Museum Sweets, drinks and ice-cream View the pick and mix counter Christmas seasonal Christmas seasonal Stationery, Greeting Cards and Books Stationery, Greeting Cards and Books View the customer restaurant View the customer restaurant Toiletries and cosmetics Pictures, artificial flowers and fancy goods Pictures, artificial flowers and fancy goods Toy Displays Wool and Haberdashery Records and Music Kidswear, ladieswear and menswear China, glass and Homemaker Pots, pans, buckets and bowls Food and Groceries Paint, polish, tools, electrical and home repair Paint and polish, tools and hardware, electricals and curtain track View the store from outside =Clicking outside the mapped area forces the page to reload, or you can press [Shift] abd [F5] on your keyboard to achieve the same result

 

 

Please click a counter in the 3D store plan above to see what that part of a Woolworth store looked like in the 1950s ....

 

By clicking above you can explore a large Woolworth store sixty years ago.  Each department has its own set of pictures, and there are also images of the exterior of the store (by clicking the fascia under the image) and the restaurant (by clicking the triangular up-arrows).

In case your browser doesn't support javascript, we've also included conventional hyperlinks below.

 

Navigation Links

Point and shoot picture

 

Store front

 

Sweets and ices

 

Pic'n'mix

 

Toiletries and cosmetics

 

Pictures, artificial flowers and fancy goods

 

Christmas cards and decorations

 

Toys

 

Cards, stationery and books

 

Wool and haberdashery

 

Children's, Men's and Ladies' Fashions

 

Music

 

China and Glassware

 

Grocery

 

Kitchen and Homewares

 

Paint, DIY and Repair

 

Restaurant

 

Building the store

 

Grand staircase

 

 

Shortcuts to related content

 

1950s Gallery

 

 

Grand re-openings

 

H.M. Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation

 

The mobile shop

 

Interactive Fifties Store

 

Embassy Records cover story

 

Digital Jukebox

 

Advent of self-service

 

Commonwealth Openings

 

Zimbabwe Album

 

Caribbean Album

 

Fiftieth birthday celebrations

 

A warning from the USA

 

What's on TV?

 

Museum Navigation

 

1940s Gallery

 

1960s Gallery

 

Museum Home Page