End of an era as iconic Hanley shop to shut after 123 years

Established in 1901, Brassingtons was originally in Parliament Row before relocation to Piccadilly in 1938 and is run by 4th generation Brassinginton Peter, with his wife Louise.
-Credit: (Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)


An iconic Stoke-on-Trent shoe shop is quitting the city centre - after 123 years. Brassingtons has been a popular destination for shoppers since it was founded in Hanley during 1901 by Lewis Brassington.

Thousands of Potteries children would have been taken to buy their school shoes there – with the owners likening it to ‘Ollivander’s wand shop in Harry Potter’.

Now owners Peter and Louise Brassington have announced they are closing the branch in Piccadilly this month – citing ‘no passing trade’. Instead, they will expand their stock at their other store in Market Street, Longton to meet customers’ needs.

Peter, aged 58, said: “We were going to close the Hanley store in June, but we decided to wait until September because of the school rush. It’s the busiest time of year for us.

“The Longton shop was opened in the 1940s, and we really want to hit the ground running in Longton. We want the choice of shoes we sell in Hanley but in Longton, because we’ve always had less stock in Longton, but we’ve got around 8,000 pairs of shoes we’ll be taking. We’ll be closing the Hanley shop by October 1.”

The shop was originally situated in Parliament Row (near Pound Bakery) before moving to Piccadilly in 1938. Five generations of Lewis Brassington’s family have worked at the store.

Peter added: “Lewis founded Brassingtons, then his sons, Stanley and Ewart, took over, then my parents, Paul and Mary Brassington took over before Louise and I. All three of our sons, Lewis, Jordan, and Oliver have worked at the shop."

READ MORE: Inside Brassingtons as Hanley shoe shop to close after 123 years

Wife Louise, aged 55, said: “There’s no passing trade in Hanley anymore, and parking is difficult for our customers, especially disabled customers. It’s easier for our customers in Longton to pop into the shop, and some only come to Hanley just to say hello, so it’ll be much easier for them.

“Hanley can be unpleasant nowadays and I think it’s time to go, and hopefully things will be a little more pleasant in Longton. We’ve had a really good ‘back to school’, it’s generally the busiest time of the year for us.

"It’s difficult for everyone in retail, everyone’s struggling, but we’re doing as good as everyone else I suppose. A lot of it depends on the economy and whether people have money to see us. We have people visiting from out of town; we have good customers from London who come up and visit us.

“Kids say it’s like Ollivander’s Wand Shop from Harry Potter in here because of all the shoes being stacked up.

“We’ll still be keeping things traditional, and we’ll still provide a service for getting the right fit shoes, and we’ll still be providing the same great quality in Longton.”

NEWSLETTER: Sign up for email alerts direct to your inbox