104-523: New Cross is an area in south-east London, England, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns , Telegraph Hill , Nunhead , Peckham , Brockley , Deptford and Greenwich , and home to Goldsmiths, University of London , Haberdashers' Hatcham College and Addey and Stanhope School . New Cross Gate, on
208-625: A cannery and food processing plant in Millwall on the Isle of Dogs in 1885, was based at The Den in Cold Blow Lane from 1910 to 1993. The ground attracted crowds of more than 45,000 at its peak, but by the 1980s was notorious for the club's repeated incidents of football hooliganism . Millwall moved a short distance to a new stadium, The New Den , situated off Ilderton Road and just within Bermondsey , at
312-559: A racist attack, and accusations of police indifference to the deaths, led to the largest ever political mobilisation of black people seen in the UK. 29 June 2008, two university students from France were stabbed to death in a house. During the 1980s, the Goldsmiths Tavern hosted alternative cabaret nights, including the Parrot Cafe organised by Emma Cafferty and Nikky Smedley. It was
416-600: A Boston store, also offered his assistance and set sail with the other volunteers on the steam boat Kaiserin Auguste Victoria on 29 May 1909 for England from Hoboken. Frank Woolworth expected other members of staff to admire the volunteers in establishing FW Woolworth & Co in Britain. However, Carson C. Peck, vice president and general manager of the company, had reservations with enlisting staff members to travel to Britain, questioning whether Woolworth had indeed created
520-671: A building named Golden Cross House. The railway station opened in 1864, fronted on the Strand with the Charing Cross Hotel. In 1865, a replacement cross was commissioned from E. M. Barry by the South Eastern Railway as the centrepiece of the station forecourt. It is not a replica, being of an ornate Victorian Gothic design based on George Gilbert Scott 's Oxford Martyrs' Memorial (1838). The Cross rises 70 feet (21 m) in three main stages on an octagonal plan, surmounted by
624-519: A claim thus widely repeated, but unsupported by archaeological or other evidence. To the east of the Charing Cross road junction is Charing Cross railway station , situated on the Strand. On the other side of the river, connected by the pedestrian Golden Jubilee Bridges , are Waterloo East and Waterloo stations. The nearest London Underground stations are Charing Cross and Embankment . Woolworths Group (United Kingdom) Woolworths
728-626: A commonly agreed central datum point , various points were used for this purpose. John Ogilby 's Britannia of 1675, of which editions and derivations continued to be published throughout the 18th century, used the "Standard" (a former conduit head) in Cornhill ; while John Cary 's New Itinerary of 1798 used the General Post Office in Lombard Street . The milestones on the main turnpike roads were mostly measured from their terminus which
832-423: A contingency plan in the event of failure so as to facilitate escape from any financial liability. Despite these reservations, the store proved to be a success; large queues outside and low priced 3d. and 6d. ("threepenny and sixpenny") items leading to it being almost stripped bare of goods before the end of the first day of trading and being attributed to mass purchased mass-produced foreign and local goods. At
936-565: A few years due to disappointing trade. In an attempt to raise the group's corporate profile under the chairmanship of Gerald Corbett , Woolworths sponsored a show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2004. Designed by a group of graduate students from Pickard School of Garden Design, the contemporary-formal style garden was awarded a silver medal. In the middle of 2006 the business launched an in-store collection service for items ordered on their website or in-store, to complement
1040-408: A high plinth, situated roughly where the medieval monumental cross (the 'Charing Cross') had previously stood for 353 years (since its construction in 1294) until destroyed in 1647 by the revolutionary government of Oliver Cromwell . The famously beheaded King, appearing ascendant, is the work of French sculptor Hubert Le Sueur . Charing Cross is marked on contemporary maps as the road junction around
1144-416: A hotel, a theatre , and a music hall (which had lain beneath the arches of the railway station). Charing Cross Road , the main route from the north (which became the east side of Trafalgar Square), was named after the railway station, itself a major destination for traffic, rather than after the original cross. By the late 18th century, the Charing Cross district was increasingly coming to be perceived as
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#17328475744141248-491: A live Yankee, would be a sensation here. During the buying trip, Woolworth met a young clerk, William Lawrence Stephenson, who was recommended to him by John Wanamaker . Wanamaker had established a large chain of department stores across the United States and was one of Woolworth's heroes. Stephenson was invited to London to meet Woolworth again, and was offered the job as director of the new company, which he accepted. After
1352-623: A long history as a place of entertainment. It opened as the New Cross Super Kinema in 1925, with a cinema on the ground floor and the New Cross Palais de Danse above, as well as a cafe. The name was shortened to New Cross Kinema from 1927, the plain Kinema in 1948, and finally Gaumont in 1950. It closed in August 1960, and remained derelict for some time. Part of the building was demolished before
1456-562: A major fire in 1969. The store, which opened in 1913, was spread over four floors and sustained extensive damage, requiring a total refit. The store was not open to the public at the time and the building was evacuated, avoiding fatalities, although some staff suffered minor injuries. It took several hours for the fire to be fully extinguished. In 1982, the British Woolworths and its sister chain B&;Q were acquired by Paternoster Stores Ltd,
1560-472: A major shareholder of Woolworths, criticised the closures. On 19 January 2009, the owner, Woolworths Group, announced its intention to also enter administration, as it could no longer pay its debts. The application was heard by the High Court on 27 January, and Woolworths Group PLC entered administration. The trade unions complained of the collective redundancies and they started various legal actions before
1664-533: A man to destroy it; however he instead hid it and brought it back to the new King, Charles II (Charles I's son), and his Parliament who had the statue erected here in 1675. A prominent pillory , where malefactors were publicly flogged, stood alongside for centuries. About 200 yards to the east was the Hungerford Market , established at the end of the 16th century; and to the north was the King's Mews , or Royal Mews,
1768-417: A monument to resemble the one lost under Cromwell's low church Britain took place in 1864 in Britain's main era of medieval revivalism. The next year the memorial was completed and Cardinal Wiseman died, having been appointed the first Archbishop of Westminster in 1850, with many Anglican churches also having restored or re-created their medieval ornamentations by the end of the century. By this time England
1872-561: A reduced debt load. Ardeshir Naghshineh criticised the plan, recommending instead that the company sell some of the stores to raise more funds. The group's banks, GMAC and Burdale , rejected the deal and recalled their loans, forcing the group to place the retail business and Entertainment UK into administration . On 26 November 2008, the trading of shares in Woolworths PLC was suspended, and Neville Kahn, Dan Butters and Nick Dargan of Deloitte were appointed joint administrators. When
1976-795: A reputation for putting on established and up and coming bands of the late 1970s and 1980s including Japan , Lloyd Cole and the Commotions , Wet Wet Wet and Levellers . Blur , some of the members of which met whilst studying at the university, played their second ever gig there while still called Seymour. In the 1990s nightclub The Venue on Clifton Rise was central to the Indie rock and Brit Pop scenes and played host to gigs by Oasis , Blur , Pulp , Suede , The Verve , and Ocean Colour Scene . Urban music magazine, Touch , and The Platform Magazine , an Islamic Hip-Hop journal are based in New Cross. During
2080-477: A sailing ship weathervane on the clock turret. New Cross Fire Station is a Grade II listed building at 266 Queens Road, built in 1893–94 to a design by the architect Robert Pearsall . The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses was once the South East London Synagogue. It was established in 1888 by Ashkenazi Jews who had emigrated to Britain from Eastern Europe . It was refused membership of
2184-506: A spire and cross. The shields in the panels of the first stage are copied from the Eleanor Crosses and bear the arms of England, Castile , Leon and Ponthieu ; above the 2nd parapet are eight statues of Queen Eleanor. The Cross was designated a Grade II* monument on 5 February 1970. The month before, the bronze equestrian statue of Charles, on a pedestal of carved Portland stone, was given Grade I listed protection. The rebuilding of
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#17328475744142288-506: A strategy of major expansion, with the company buying or building freehold properties. Many of the stores had distinctive faience tiled art deco frontages. The expansion was funded entirely out of earnings and without any borrowing or further capitalisation. The 400th branch, at Southport, Lancashire, opened on 12 July 1930, and the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1931. The US parent company reduced its holding in
2392-716: A temporary hut and then to a new purpose-built synagogue in 1956. During the period from 1945 to 1947 Immanuel Jakobovits , who later became the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, and was created a life peer in 1988, as Baron Jakobovits, was the rabbi. However, the congregation went into decline and the synagogue closed in 1985, by which time it only had 56 male members compared with 294 in 1939. The Venue nightclub in New Cross Road has
2496-531: A traditional brass band in the refreshment room. The event was reported positively by the local newspaper, the Liverpool Courier , which praised the decor of the stores along with the value and range of items on sale. Despite local press praise, British national newspaper the Daily Mail likened Frank Woolworth to American showman P. T. Barnum and claimed that the store location had been decided as part of
2600-525: A wide variety of products including confectionery, electricals, alcohol, jewellery, perfumes and clothing. Woolworths had a strongly unionised workforce, with shop stewards such as Paul Thompson of Unite (formerly the Transport and General Workers' Union ) particularly active in the north of the UK. In July 2008, the board rejected a bid from Iceland founder Malcolm Walker to buy Woolworths' 819 stores for £50m. Walker's bid did not include Entertainment UK or
2704-501: Is a good deal like asking a boy to volunteer to go into a bear's den when he does not know whether he is to eat a nicely cooked luscious bear's steak, or be eaten by a great, big black bear. Despite reservations such as Peck's, the decision to launch stores in the United Kingdom went ahead as previously planned by Woolworth. He considered several locations for the first stores, together with future possible sites. The chosen location for
2808-466: Is a reimagining of the medieval cross, on a larger scale, more ornate, and not on the original site. It was designed by the architect E. M. Barry and carved by Thomas Earp of Lambeth out of Portland stone , Mansfield stone (a fine sandstone) and Aberdeen granite ; and it stands 222 yards (203 metres) to the north-east of the original cross, focal to the station forecourt, facing the Strand . Since 1675
2912-671: Is believed to have taken its name from a coaching house originally known as the Golden Cross, which stood close to the current New Cross House pub. The diarist John Evelyn , who lived in Deptford , wrote in 1675 that he met a friend at 'New Crosse' in his coach before travelling down through Kent and on to France. In the later 19th century, the area became known as the New Cross Tangle on account of its numerous railway lines, workshops and two stations — both originally called New Cross (one
3016-455: Is marked on modern maps as a road junction, and was used in street numbering for the section of Whitehall between Great Scotland Yard and Trafalgar Square. Since 1 January 1931 this segment has more logically and officially become the northern end of Whitehall. At some time between 1232 and 1236, the Chapel and Hospital of St Mary Rounceval was founded at Charing. It occupied land at the corner of
3120-721: Is more common during engineering works. Passengers can easily make a brief interchange at Dalston Junction for trains to Highbury and Islington New Cross also has mainline suburban services operated by Southeastern . Trains generally run north to Cannon Street or Charing Cross to the north and south-east to Lewisham , Bexleyheath , Hayes and Dartford in Kent. New Cross Gate has mainline suburban services operated by Southern . Trains here generally run north to London Bridge and south to London Victoria , East Croydon , Gatwick Airport Surrey and Sussex. Three major roads meet in New Cross:
3224-609: Is the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hacheham . It was held by the Bishop of Lisieux from the Bishop of Bayeux . According to the entry in the Domesday Book Hatcham's assets were: 3 hides ; 3 ploughs , 6 acres (24,000 m) of meadow , woodland worth 3 hog and rendered £ 2. Hatcham tithes were paid to Bermondsey Abbey from 1173 until the dissolution of the monasteries . A series of individuals then held land locally before
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3328-626: The A202 (Queen's Road) which runs from New Cross to Victoria, the A2 (New Cross Road) which runs from London to Canterbury and Dover , and the A20 (Lewisham Way) which runs from New Cross to Folkestone and Dover. Charing Cross Charing Cross ( / ˈ tʃ ær ɪ ŋ / CHARR -ing ) is a junction in Westminster , London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been
3432-539: The Big W brand, similar to Wal-Mart in the US. Although it was successful at the beginning, the format failed to catch on; the original plan had relied upon leveraging the involvement of other Kingfisher group retailers, but following the de-merger this was no longer possible. Following a period of losses, Woolworths confirmed in 2004 it would abandon the Big W concept. The group sold seven of
3536-519: The Tower Garrison and surrendered. The Eleanor Cross was pulled down, by order of Parliament, in 1647, at the time of the English Civil War , becoming the subject of a popular Royalist ballad : Methinks the common-council shou'd Of it have taken pity, 'Cause, good old cross, it always stood So firmly in the city. Since crosses you so much disdain, Faith, if I were you, For fear
3640-687: The United Synagogue , but was admitted to the Federation of Synagogues . Immanuel Jakobovits was the rabbi just after the Second World War . The synagogue's first premises was a house at 452 New Cross Road. The first purpose-built synagogue was consecrated in March 1905 and was destroyed by a German air raid on 27 December 1940. After this the congregation moved temporarily to 117 Lewisham Way, returning to its original site at New Cross Road in 1946 – first to
3744-617: The "centre" of the metropolis (supplanting the traditional heartland of the City to the east). From the early 19th century, legislation applicable only to the London metropolis used Charing Cross as a central point to define its geographical scope. Its later use in legislation waned in favour of providing a schedule of local government areas and became mostly obsolete with the creation of Greater London in 1965. Road distances from London continue to be measured from Charing Cross. Prior to its selection as
3848-583: The 'Whitehall' thoroughfare. Erect a rich and stately carved cross, Whereon her statue shall with glory shine; And henceforth see you call it Charing Cross. The name of the lost hamlet, Charing, is derived from the Old English word cierring , a river bend, in this case, referring to a bend in the Thames . A debunked folk etymology claimed the name is a corruption of chère reine ("dear queen" in French), but
3952-511: The 'alien' houses. The priory fell into a long decline from lack of money and arguments regarding the collection of tithes with the parish church of St Martin-in-the-Fields . In 1541, religious artefacts were removed to St Margaret's , and the chapel was adapted as a private house; its almshouse were sequestered to the Royal Palace. In 1608–09, the Earl of Northampton built Northumberland House on
4056-686: The 1990s which sold music and confectionery. Smaller outlets with a similar format were also tried at the Sheffield Meadowhall Shopping Centre, but closed in 2003; the Manchester Music and Video store was superseded by a larger MVC store, owned by Woolworths Group. In the late 1990s, the management extended the Woolworths brand into other retail formats and alternative channels to accelerate growth by taking advantage of changing retail trends. Some larger-format stores were opened under
4160-442: The 21 Big W stores in 2005 to Tesco and Asda. The gross internal floor area of the remaining sites was reduced to an optimum trading size of around 40,000 to 50,000 square feet (4,600 m ). Following this, they were rebranded as Woolworths Out of Town stores. The newly independent Woolworths faced severe competitive and financial pressures. The market for physical copies of music, one of Woolworths' main money spinners, shrank in
4264-648: The City. Some of these structures were later moved or destroyed, but reference to them persisted as if they still remained in place. An exaggerated but well-meaning criticism was that "all the Books of Roads ... published, differ in the Situation of Mile Stones, and instead of being a Guide to the Traveller, serve only to confound him". William Camden speculated in 1586 that Roman roads in Britain had been measured from London Stone ,
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4368-594: The Founding Fathers of the district to a small "farm in middle England". When Frank eventually travelled to England in 1890, he docked in Liverpool and travelled by train to Stoke-on-Trent for the purchase of china and glassware for Woolworth's ranges, but also noted his love of England in his diary and his aspirations for bringing the Woolworth name to England: I believe that a good penny and sixpence store, run by
4472-560: The King should rule again, I'd pull down Tiburn too. At the Restoration (1660 or shortly after) eight of the regicides were executed here, including the notable Fifth Monarchist , Colonel Thomas Harrison . A statue of Charles I was, likewise in Charles II's reign, erected on the site. This had been made in 1633 by Hubert Le Sueur , in the reign of Charles I, but in 1649 Parliament ordered
4576-524: The Republic of Ireland market. About 32 potential locations were identified that could support a Woolworths store. However, the project did not proceed beyond the market research phase. During the 1980s, management rationalised merchandise lines into clearly defined categories: entertainment, home, children (toys and clothing) and confectionery. Many Woolworths branches were downsized during this time. Older branches in major cities were sometimes almost as large as
4680-588: The UK tribunals based on the absence of proper consultation of the employee representatives. The UK Court of Appeal referred the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union which partially disagreed with the unions by an important decision of 30 April 2015. In January 2024, it was announced that Woolworths may make a return 15 years after it closed, when the German company announced its expansion throughout Europe and
4784-512: The UK was one of its high priorites and this looks more likely, following the closure of Wilko just a year earlier in the UK. In October 2020, an unverified Twitter account named @UKWoolworths announced that Woolworths UK was planning to relaunch. The announcement was reported by dozens of mainstream British websites, including MailOnline and the Daily Mirror . Within hours the Very Group ,
4888-554: The Woolworths brand, website, trademarks and intellectual property in the United Kingdom from The Very Group for an undisclosed sum. The British branch of the F. W. Woolworth Company , which had been founded in Pennsylvania, F. W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd , was founded by Frank Woolworth in Liverpool , England, on 5 November 1909. Frank Woolworth had ancestry in Woolley, Cambridgeshire — Frank claimed he had traced his ancestry through
4992-645: The already established in-store ordering system. In late September 2006, the Big Red Book was launched, to compete directly with the Argos catalogue. Woolworths launched the WorthIt! brand as a value range in 2007. The first advertising campaign for the brand aired on 15 June 2007 and introduced the characters of Wooly the sheep and Worth the sheepdog. Further advertising campaigns featured celebrities such as Rolf Harris , Jackie Chan and Kelly Osbourne . The brand covered
5096-460: The arch – crash – knock – children look round – mother's head off – sandwich in her hand – no mouth to put it in – head of family off." The story echoes an accident of 11 April 1800, when the Chatham and Rochester coach was emerging from the gateway of the Golden Cross, and "a young woman, sitting on the top, threw her head back, to prevent her striking against the beam; but there being so much luggage on
5200-503: The area via a Liberal club on the New Cross end of the part of the A202 named Queen's Road. In the 2010s and early 2020s the area was known for being a focal point of the London jazz revival scene, with club night Steam Down , and musicians like Nubya Garcia having gigged there and in nearby Deptford . The area supports a fledgling student opera company, Opera Gold , run by Goldsmiths, University of London. Millwall Football Club , founded by mainly Scottish workers at J.T. Morton,
5304-453: The company entered administration it had a debt of £385 million. The administrators announced that they were aiming to keep the company as a going concern over the crucial Christmas period, although analysts feared that any heavy discounting would create a domino effect and drag down other high street retailers. Deloitte later announced they had received "substantial interest" in Woolworths. When news of Woolworths' entry into administration
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#17328475744145408-901: The company to 51.7% at that time. In 1934, the 600th store was opened, in Wallington in Surrey . Expansion was effectively suspended between 1940 and 1950, owing to the Second World War and post-war restrictions, but then resumed. The 800th branch, at Wilton Road, Victoria, London, opened in September 1953. A store was opened in Kingston in Jamaica in 1954. This was followed in 1959 by one in Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe ); its layout
5512-469: The company. 2008–2011 The 2007–2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession reduced availability of credit and consumer spending. On 19 November 2008, The Times reported that the Woolworths' retail business was a target for restructuring specialist Hilco UK , who would buy the retail arm for a nominal £1; this was confirmed the same day. The deal would have left Woolworths Group with its profitable distribution and publishing businesses and
5616-412: The early 1950s. The track re-opened for a short spell 1959 - 1961 and closed its doors to the sport for the last time mid season 1963. The stadium was also the scene of the UK's first stock car race at Easter 1954, with 26,000 in the crowd and thousands more locked outside. The stadium site is now an open space, Bridge House Meadows. The 1949 speedway film Once a Jolly Swagman , starring Dirk Bogarde ,
5720-465: The early 21st century; specialist music chains such as Our Price collapsed. The major supermarket chains expanded into many of Woolworths' product areas, and the fast-expanding Wilkinson challenged it directly on the high street. Woolworths did not generally follow the trend started in the 1980s of opening stores at out-of-town relocations. One of its few out-of-town stores opened at Dudley 's Merry Hill Shopping Centre in 1989, but this closed within
5824-483: The east side of Whitehall ). A variant from the hazy Middle English orthography of the late fourteenth century is Cherryngescrouche . The stone cross was the work of the medieval sculptor, Alexander of Abingdon . It was destroyed in 1647 on the orders of the purely Parliamentarian phase of the Long Parliament or Oliver Cromwell himself in the Civil War . A 70 ft (21 m)-high stone sculpture in front of Charing Cross railway station , erected in 1865,
5928-406: The eastern portion of the property. In June 1874, the duke's property at Charing Cross was purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works for the formation of Northumberland Avenue. The frontage of the Rounceval property caused the narrowing at the end of the Whitehall entry to Charing Cross, and formed the section of Whitehall formerly known as Charing Cross, until road widening in the 1930s caused
6032-415: The fact that the majority of the managers who followed the decision did so out of loyalty to Woolworth, and that moving such a valuable resource already established in the United States to what was a financially unproven "Little Infant" in the UK would have a detrimental effect upon the "Bread and Butter" of the Company. To me it seems that these return sheets are in danger of being misunderstood and that it
6136-436: The film Shaun of the Dead . The area is served by two railway stations, New Cross and New Cross Gate . Both stations are served by London Overground . From New Cross Gate passengers can travel to Crystal Palace and West Croydon to the south and Highbury & Islington to the north. New Cross acts as the terminus for the service from Dalston Junction . Trains sometimes continue to Highbury & Islington but this
6240-453: The first store was 25 - 25A Church Street and 8 Williamson Street in the centre of Liverpool (the street addresses of the different entrances). It opened on 5 November 1909 with a performance by a full orchestra, circus acts and fireworks. As a means of adherence to American trading tradition, only viewing of items was allowed on the first day of the shop's opening. This included guests being given complementary tea while being entertained by
6344-424: The forerunner of Kingfisher plc . Woolworths Group plc was formed by the demerger of Kingfisher's general merchandise business, and began trading as a listed company on the London Stock Exchange on 28 August 2003, using the symbol WLW. In October 1984, the Woolworths stores in the Republic of Ireland were closed. In August 1996, market research was undertaken by Woolworths investigating opportunities to re-enter
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#17328475744146448-516: The former school building was bought by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, who opened the Goldsmiths’ Company's Technical and Recreative Institute in 1891. This was in turn handed over to the University of London in 1904 and is now Goldsmiths, University of London . The former Deptford Town Hall building in New Cross Road, now also used by Goldsmiths, was built in the Edwardian Baroque style by Lanchester and Rickards, 1903–5. Nautical references include carvings of Tritons, statues of admirals and
6552-496: The hamlet of Charing, Westminster , which later gave way to government property; a little of the Strand; and Trafalgar Square. The cross in its various historical forms has also lent its name to its locality, including Charing Cross Station . On the forecourt of this terminus station stands the ornate Queen Eleanor Memorial Cross , a taller emulation of the original, and built to mark the station's opening in 1864. A bronze equestrian statue of Charles I , erected in 1675, stands on
6656-409: The idea for the creation of British stores, Frank Woolworth had offered invitations to store managers in the United States to open up stores in the UK and had only received offers to take positions at the time of his illness in March 1909 from Fred Woolworth of the Sixth Avenue and Samuel Balfour of the 14th Street stores in New York City. After these initial offers, Byron Miller, a superintendent in
6760-546: The lack of staff members throughout the war with several staff members being promoted to managerial positions. Stores in the United States, which were then stocking ranges also present in British stores, were dependent upon European manufacturers which had adopted newer production methods than their American counterparts. After the First World War, the company continued to expand with the opening of further branches. By 1923 there were 130 branches, and William Lawrence Stephenson (1880–1963) became managing director. He implemented
6864-423: The latter, the dangers to public safety of the quite low archway to access the inn's coaching yard were memorably pointed out by Mr Jingle : "Heads, heads – take care of your heads", cried the loquacious stranger as they came out under the low archway which in those days formed the entrance to the coachyard. "Terrible place – dangerous work – other day – five children – mother – tall lady, eating sandwiches – forgot
6968-555: The lowest female life expectancy of all the wards of Greater London: 77.6 years. For males the rate was 74.3 years, tied with Camberwell Green in Southwark and only higher than Selhurst ward in Croydon. The proximity of New Cross to Deptford and Greenwich , both of which have strong maritime connections, led to the establishment of the Royal Naval School in New Cross in 1843 (designed by architect John Shaw Jr , 1803–1870) to house "the sons of impecunious naval officers". The school relocated further south-east to Mottingham in 1889, and
7072-438: The major department stores nearby. In 1987, for example, Woolworths left its five-floor branch on Briggate in Leeds (now occupied by House of Fraser ), which it had occupied since 1913, and kept only its smaller single-level branch in the Merrion Centre . This was in an area of the city centre which had less pedestrian traffic, of shoppers who were generally on a lower budget. Woolworths did have several smaller outlets during
7176-417: The manor was bought in the 17th century by the Haberdashers' Company , a wealthy livery company that was instrumental in the area's development in the 19th century. Telegraph Hill was for many years covered by market gardens also owned by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers . Until the creation of the London County Council in 1889, the area was a part of the counties of Kent and Surrey . New Cross
7280-459: The mid to late 2000s, around the time of new rave 's popularity in the music press and the Angular Recording Corporation bringing attention to the area, the press briefly referred to The New Cross Scene . With bands such as Bloc Party , Art Brut , and The xx playing at pubs in the area early in their careers. Klaxons also formed whilst living in the area, and their original drummer's later band Hatcham Social were named after an old name for
7384-416: The modern Whitehall and into the centre of Northumberland Avenue , running down to a wharf by the river. It was an Augustinian house, tied to a mother house at Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees . The house and lands were seized for the king in 1379, under a statute "for the forfeiture of the lands of schismatic aliens". Protracted legal action returned some rights to the prior, but in 1414, Henry V suppressed
7488-568: The name pre-dates Queen Eleanor's death by at least a hundred years. The suffix "Cross" refers to the Eleanor cross made during 1291–94 by order of King Edward I as a memorial to his wife, Eleanor of Castile . This place latter comprised little more than wayside cottages serving the Royal Mews in the northern area of Trafalgar Square , and built specifically for the Palace of Whitehall (much of
7592-428: The name was derived from the hamlet of Charing ('Riverbend') that occupied the area of this important road junction in the middle ages, together with the grand Eleanor cross that once marked the site. The medieval monumental cross, the Charing Cross (1294–1647), was the largest and most ornate instance of a chain of medieval Eleanor crosses running from Lincoln to this location. It was a landmark for many centuries of
7696-469: The new business adventure following a dream, or due to his dissatisfaction with the current condition of the American branch. Peck also asked those who were willing to volunteer to reconsider their decision, claiming that those who had volunteered were unaware of the uncertainty and risks involved and that some were only tentatively willing to engage in Woolworth's new endeavour: His concerns mainly centred on
7800-590: The notional "centre of London " and became the point from which distances from London are measured . Clockwise from north, the routes that meet at Charing Cross are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road ; the Strand leading to the City ; Northumberland Avenue leading to the Thames Embankment ; Whitehall leading to Parliament Square ; The Mall leading to Admiralty Arch and Buckingham Palace ; and two short roads leading to Pall Mall . Historically,
7904-503: The old dancehall became The Harp Club and then The Venue in the late 1980s. The Venue nightclub briefly renamed itself 'One For The Road' and following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic , and for a little while functioned less as a nightclub and more as a bar, before ultimately closing. Also, the Duke of Albany public house (converted to flats in 2008) was the facade for The Winchester pub in
8008-533: The onset of the First World War , F.W. Woolworth & Co. had 40 stores in Great Britain and Ireland located in most major cities - from which a total of 57 staff including store managers had enlisted; the majority of whom did not return after the end of the war in 1918. Despite American staff again offering their services to the Woolworths branches in Britain, remaining staff increased their efforts to cope with
8112-798: The original venue of Vic Reeves Big Night Out , a live comedy night he started there in 1986 before moving it to the Albany Empire in 1988, and also where Reeves met future comedy partner Bob Mortimer . Paul O'Grady would also perform there. A long-running comedy night named Happy Mondays runs at the Amersham Arms fortnightly. Comedians to have performed at the night include Stewart Lee , Cardinal Burns , Russell Howard , Shaparak Khorsandi , Andy Parsons , Andi Osho , Arthur Smith , Sarah Millican , Greg Davies , Milton Jones , Dane Baptiste , Robin Ince , and Al Murray . Goldsmiths ' Students' Union had
8216-418: The rebuilding of the south side of the street which created a wide thoroughfare. In 1554, Charing Cross was the site of the final battle of Wyatt's Rebellion . This was an attempt by Thomas Wyatt and others to overthrow Queen Mary I of England , soon after her accession to the throne, and replace her with Lady Jane Grey . Wyatt's army had come from Kent, and with London Bridge barred to them, had crossed
8320-569: The river by what was then the next bridge upstream, at Hampton Court . Their circuitous route brought them down St Martin's Lane to Whitehall. The palace was defended by 1000 men under Sir John Gage at Charing Cross; they retreated within Whitehall after firing their shot, causing consternation within, thinking the force had changed sides. The rebels – themselves fearful of artillery on the higher ground around St James's – did not press their attack and marched on to Ludgate , where they were met by
8424-454: The roof of the coach as to hinder her laying herself sufficiently back, it caught her face, and tore the flesh in a dreadful manner." The inn and its yard, pillory, and what remained of the Royal Mews, made way for Trafalgar Square, and a new Golden Cross Hotel was built in the 1830s on the triangular block fronted by South Africa House . A nod to this is made by some offices on the Strand, in
8528-615: The site of the cross has been occupied by a statue of Charles I , the king beheaded during the Cromwellian era, mounted on a horse. The site is recognised by modern convention as the centre of London for determining distances (whether geodesically or by road network) in preference to other measurement points (such as St Paul's Cathedral which remains the root of the English and Welsh part of the Great Britain road numbering scheme ). Charing Cross
8632-601: The six months to 2 August. At the same time, Johnson outlined a possible turnaround plan to sell 120 stores, axe a quarter of its products, reduce web operations and cut jobs. At that time, the retailer's largest shareholder was Iranian property developer Ardeshir Naghshineh, with a 10.2% stake. A consortium led by Icelandic investor Baugur , called Unity owned a 10% stake in Woolworths. In October 2008 Sir Alan Sugar , founder of electronics firm Amstrad , increased his stake in Woolworths to around 4%. Theo Paphitis , owner of stationery retailer Ryman , also stated his interest in
8736-510: The stables for the Palace of Whitehall and thus the King's own presence at the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster). The whole area of the broad pavements of what was a three-way main junction with private (stables) turn-off was a popular place of street entertainment. Samuel Pepys records in his diaries visiting the taverns and watching the entertainments and executions that were held there. This
8840-468: The stake in 2 Entertain, and also avoided taking on Woolworths' debt and pension liabilities. On 12 August 2008, Woolworths Group announced the appointment of Steve Johnson, former chief executive officer of Focus DIY , to the post of chief executive. He replaced Trevor Bish-Jones, who had left in June. Woolworths scrapped its interim dividend in September 2008, after it announced a pre-tax loss of £99.7m for
8944-645: The start of the 1993–94 season. The club remains within the New Cross electoral ward. Speedway racing was staged at the New Cross Speedway and Greyhound Stadium , situated at the end of Hornshay Street, off Ilderton Road. The venue became home to the New Cross Rangers in 1934 when the Crystal Palace promotion moved en bloc. The track, reputed to be one of the shortest and known as "The Frying Pan Bowl", operated until 1939 and re-opened in 1946 running until
9048-401: The statue's traffic island, though it is also a thoroughfare in postal addresses: Drummonds Bank , on the corner with The Mall, retains the address 49 Charing Cross and 1-4 Charing Cross continues to exist. The name previously applied to the whole stretch of road between Great Scotland Yard and Trafalgar Square, but since 1 January 1931 most of this section of road has been designated part of
9152-591: The time that ownership shifted to the UK, there were about 1,000 branches. Woolworths tried the large out-of-town store or hypermarket format in the 1960s with the Woolco stores. While some of these stores were closed, the majority were sold to the Dee Corporation in the early 1980s and reopened as Gateway hypermarkets, later being taken over by Asda . One of Woolworths' flagship stores, on Briggate in Leeds , suffered
9256-599: The west of New Cross, is named after the New Cross tollgate, established in 1718 by the New Cross Turnpike Trust. It is the location of New Cross station and New Cross Gate station . New Cross Gate corresponds to the manor and district formerly known as Hatcham . The area was originally known as Hatcham (the name persists in the title of the Anglican parishes of St. James, Hatcham along with its school, and All Saints, Hatcham Park). The earliest reference to Hatcham
9360-616: Was a British high-street retail chain. At its height, it operated as Woolworths Group PLC, which included other companies such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK , and book and resource distributor Bertram Books . The Woolworths store chain was originally a division of the American F. W. Woolworth Company until its sale in the early 1980s, it had more than 800 stores in the UK prior to closure. Woolworths sold many goods and had its own Ladybird children's clothing range, WorthIt! value range and Chad Valley toys. They were also well known for selling pick 'n' mix sweets. It
9464-642: Was based on that of a store in Guildford . Woolworth also operated stores in Barbados , Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies . On 22 May 1958, the 1000th branch (known as "Portslade" to distinguish it from the existing Hove branch) opened in Boundary Road, Hove. The peak of 1,141 branches was reached in the late 1960s. From then until the US parent sold out in 1982, a number of branches were closed and sold, and at
9568-653: Was combined with the south of the mews when Trafalgar Square was built on the site in 1832, the rest of the stable yard becoming the National Gallery primarily. A major London coaching inn, the "Golden Cross" – first mentioned in 1643 – faced this junction. From here, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, coaches linked variously terminuses of: Dover , Brighton , Bath , Bristol, Cambridge , Holyhead and York . The inn features in Sketches by Boz , David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens . In
9672-466: Was driven through enormous crowds, finally arriving at its destination in the early hours of 6 July. On 25 November 1944 a V-2 rocket exploded at the Woolworths store in New Cross Road (on the site later occupied by an Iceland supermarket), 168 people were killed, and 121 were seriously injured. It was London's most devastating V-bombing of the entire war. On 25 November 2009 a new commemorative plaque
9776-519: Was filmed at New Cross. For many years New Cross was home to the Laban Centre, now Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance which was based at Laurie Grove producing choreographers such as Matthew Bourne and Lea Anderson . In 2002 Laban moved to new studios in Deptford. However, it still uses its New Cross campus, where studios have since been refurbished. Its library, New Cross Learning, which
9880-496: Was formerly known as the New Cross People's Library, was saved from permanent closure after government cuts. A series of protests in 2011, namely from the ‘Save New Cross Library Campaign’ and the subsequent media coverage, garnered enough support to see it re-open in 2013 as a community led library. It now offers learning activities and workshops, and has a lending catalogue of over 5,000 books. The New Cross ward of Lewisham has
9984-532: Was formerly the largest tram depot in London, opening in 1906. During the 1926 General Strike in support of the miners, strikebreakers were brought in to drive trams from the depot. On 7 May, police baton charges were launched to clear a crowd of 2–3,000 pickets blockading the entrance (reported as "Rowdyism in New Cross" by the Kentish Mercury ). The last London tram , in July 1952, ran from Woolwich to New Cross. It
10088-536: Was later renamed New Cross Gate). Hatcham Iron Works in Pomeroy Street was an important steam locomotive factory, the scene of a bitter confrontation in 1865 between its manager, George England , and the workers. The Strike Committee met at the Crown and Anchor pub in New Cross Road, now the site of Hong Kong City Chinese restaurant. George England's house, Hatcham Lodge, is now 56 Kender Street. New Cross bus garage
10192-442: Was officially dissolved on 13 October 2015. The collapse of Woolworths was a symbol of the credit crunch and financial turmoil in the United Kingdom at the end of 2008. In February 2009, Shop Direct Group (later known as The Very Group) purchased the Woolworths trademark and the internet address Woolworths.co.uk, which continued as a retail website until its closure in June 2015. In July 2021, Woolworth Deutschland acquired
10296-617: Was peripheral to the free-passage urban, London roads. Ten of these are notable: Hyde Park Corner , Whitechapel Church , the southern end of London Bridge , the east end of Westminster Bridge , Shoreditch Church , Tyburn Turnpike (Marble Arch), Holborn Bars , St Giles's Pound , Hicks Hall (as to the Great North Road ), and the Stones' End in The Borough . Some roads into Surrey and Sussex were measured from St Mary-le-Bow church in
10400-698: Was sometimes referred to as Woolies by the UK media, the general public, and occasionally in its own television adverts. The British company also owned and ran divisions in the Republic of Ireland until 1984 and Cyprus until 2003. On 26 November 2008, trading of shares in Woolworths Group was suspended, and its Woolworths and Entertainment UK subsidiaries entered administration . Deloitte closed all 807 Woolworths stores between 27 December 2008 and 6 January 2009, resulting in 27,000 job losses. Woolworths Group plc entered administration on 27 January 2009, and it
10504-513: Was the epicentre of the Gothic Revival . It was intertwined with deeply philosophical movements associated with a re-awakening of "High Church" or Anglo-Catholic self-belief (and by the Catholic convert Augustus Welby Pugin ) concerned by the growth of religious nonconformism. The cross, having been revived, gave its name to a railway station , a tube station , a police station, a hospital ,
10608-498: Was unclear how much of Woolworths' debt would be paid. In the last few days of trading discounts of up to 90% were offered, and a number of stores sold all of their stock, many selling all of their fixtures and fittings too. The stores were closed in phases, and the final two closing days were moved back a day to try to sell more of the remaining stock and to ease logistics of closing. The former chief executive of Kingfisher, Woolworths' former parent company, and Ardeshir Naghshineh,
10712-459: Was unveiled on the site by the Mayor of Lewisham, marking the 65th anniversary of the explosion . On 13 August 1977, the area saw the so-called Battle of Lewisham , during which the far-right British National Front were beaten back by militant anti-fascists and local people. On 18 January 1981, 13 young black people were killed in a house fire at a party. Suspicions that the fire was caused by
10816-609: Was widely publicised, National Lottery operator Camelot immediately suspended Woolworths from selling their lottery tickets and scratch cards, as well as preventing claimants from redeeming prizes at the stores. On 5 December 2008, Woolworths recorded their greatest single day takings of £27 million, and axed 450 head office and support staff jobs. A closing-down sale started on 11 December. On 17 December 2008, administrators announced that all 807 Woolworths stores would close by 5 January 2009 (later changed to 6 January), with 27,000 job losses. Deloitte's Neville Kahn also said that it
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