Last updated at 14:16, Thursday, 07 April 2011

IF you’ve been living in Whitehaven and district for more than five minutes then you’ll surely have memories of The Beehive.

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That iconic shop where you could buy everything, from a pin to a train set or a hat to a shovel. It was the store to visit when you went shopping in your best hat and gloves in King Street.

And true to its name, shoppers, like bees to honey, and with their purses full of money would be attracted to the emporium in goodly number to spend their pounds shillings and pence.

Children would be enthralled by the toy department in the basement and save up their weekly pocket money for meccano sets, a dolly or Dinky car.

Owned by the Browne family and memorable for its unusual payment system which saw canisters of cash, receipts and change whooshing around the pneumatic pipes from one floor to another, the whole town was saddened when The Beehive closed.

Happily, the large gold beehive that hung above the main door was saved and is part of The Beacon museum collection.

Brigid Monaghan, a former head teacher of Hensingham Infant School, took the pictures at Easter 1979 when she was on a course at Newcastle University, where she was studying ceramics and photography.

For her chosen project she chose The Beehive and it is to Bridget we say ‘thanks for the memories’ captured in these nostalgic images.

More next week.

First published at 11:08, Thursday, 24 March 2011
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk