Hedley Swan - Joplings
Joplings Store The former Joplings department store on John Street was, for decades, a Sunderland institution. The firm of Joplings was founded in 1804 and operated as a draper’s shop in High Street East. In 1882 the firm was bought by Stephen Swan and Robert Hedley, trading as Hedley, Swan & Co. but still known as Joplings. The company moved to premises on High Street West in 1919 and remained there until fire destroyed the store in 1954. The business moved into temporary premises until the present building opened in 1956.
Joplings’ new store was designed by Stanley Wayman Milbum (1888-1961), the son of William Milburn. It was constructed of brick and reinforced concrete using the principles of modernism, a radical European movement that transformed architecture in the twentieth century. Based on a rejection of past styles and a commitment to industrial materials, modernism was initially deemed too severe for conventional British tastes, but gained acceptance after the Second World War as an answer to post-war reconstruction.
The elevations of the Joplings store have a strong horizontal emphasis due to the use of strip windows and a sweeping concrete sill that was built to provide shelter for window shoppers. Display windows stocked with alluring goods were one of the sales tactics developed by sophisticated retailers. The upper storey is a glazed clerestory, with exposed structural supports in the form of modernistic flying buttresses. The long facades converge at the corner, where an abstract white plane rose up to display the name of the store and a clock face.
Throughout the decades, Joplings gave Sunderland consumers access to ready-to-wear clothing and homeware, allowing local people to engage with the latest fashion trends and to furnish modern homes. Sadly, the store closed in 2010, but there are plans to convert it into a hotel.
Hedley Swan & Co. - Joplings | ||
---|---|---|
Material | Bronze | |
Filename | HSJ001 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co - Joplings ½ | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 26 | |
Notes | HSJ001 Varieties | |
Source | © malj1 Collection | |
Material | Bronze | |
Filename | HSJ002 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co - Joplings 1d | |
Rev. | same except flat top 1 | |
Size (mm) | 31.5 | |
Notes | HSJ002 Varieties | |
Source | © malj1 Collection | |
Material | Bronze | |
Filename | HSJ002a | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co - Joplings 1d C/hole | |
Rev. | flat top 1 both sides | |
Size (mm) | 31.5 | |
Notes | ||
Source | ||
Material | cu-ni | |
Filename | HSJ003 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co Ltd - Joplings 6d | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 20 | |
Notes | HSJ003 Varieties | |
Source | © malj1 Collection | |
Material | cu-ni | |
Filename | HSJ004 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co Ltd - Joplings 1/- | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 25 | |
Notes | HSJ004 Varieties | |
Source | © malj1 Collection | |
Material | Brass | |
Filename | HSJ006 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co - Joplings 2/- | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | nk | |
Notes | ||
Source | ||
Material | nk | |
Filename | HSJ008 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co - Joplings 2/6 | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | nk | |
Notes | ||
Source | ||
Material | Brass | |
Filename | HSJ005 | |
Description | Hedley Swan & Co Ltd - Joplings 20/- | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 26 | |
Notes | ||
Source | © malj1 Collection |
Joplings Ltd Sunderland ~ Decimal Issue | ||
---|---|---|
Material | red fibre | |
Filename | JOD001 | |
Description | Joplings ½p Ltd Sunderland | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 25.7 | |
Notes | ||
Source | © agoodall Collection | |
Material | red fibre | |
Filename | JOD002 | |
Description | Joplings 1p Ltd Sunderland | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | nk | |
Notes | ||
Source | © malj1 Collection | |
File:JOD004.jpg | ||
Material | red fibre | |
Filename | JOD004 | |
Description | Joplings 2p Ltd Sunderland | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | nk | |
Notes | ||
Source | ||
File:JOD005.jpg | ||
Material | nk | |
Filename | JOD005 | |
Description | Joplings 5p Ltd Sunderland | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | nk | |
Notes | ||
Source | ||
Material | nk | |
Filename | JOD006 | |
Description | Joplings 10p Ltd Sunderland | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | nk | |
Notes | ||
Source | ||
Material | Bronze | |
Filename | JOD003 | |
Description | Joplings 50p Ltd Sunderland | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 33.9 | |
Notes | ||
Source | © bhx7 Collection | |
Material | Brass | |
Filename | JOP007 | |
Description | Joplings £5 Ltd Sunderland (five pounds) | |
Rev. | same | |
Size (mm) | 29.3 square | |
Notes | ||
Source | © malj1 Collection |