C.R. Spouge

Name: Russell Smith
Comment: I remember Spouges. It was a large shop just off the Cornhill right in the centre. It was a traditional store in that it sold electrical goods, mainly high-end hi-fi and TVs if memory serves.

The records were to the back. It had a huge classical section and the pop and rock was modest in comparison. But, the shop was very good ordering records and could records others seemingly could not. They also bizarrely had a good range of imports - I distinctly recall picking up a Dutch collection of the early Pink Floyd singles when there was no such counterpart.

My other purchases (that I can remember) are the Move Message From the Country, Family Old Songs, New Songs, and some of the early Jam singles in picture bags. I'm not sure when it closed, must have been sometime in the 1980s. As I recall it moved and rebranded when the market was redeveloped - but, I think with more an emphasis on electrical goods.

Name: Mike Holland
Comment: Spouges was owned by my uncle. He died in the mid 1970s and the store closed (not moved or re-branded) when the area was redeveloped.
(27 March 2014)

Name: Paul Devereux
Comment: I agree with the above comments on Spouges. I particularly remember the gentleman who ran the record department. He was extremely helpful and knowledgeable on classical music and would spend ages trying to help customers. A far cry from staff at a local record shop which shall remain nameless who were really only interested in selling. This was the first shop in Lincoln to have Sgt. Peppers in stock as far as I know.
(17 December 2013)

Name: Jennifer Shucksmith née West
Comment: I worked in the office at Spouges from 1965 to 1969, I remember the shop getting its first colour television, the record department was always very busy, a nice place to work with nice people, I have some good memories.
(5 April 2013)

Name: Colin Drabble
Comment: I worked in the electrical part of this shop up to it being taken over by the now-defunct Yorkshire firm of Valences, with occasional stints in the record department. You're right that the classical section was much bigger than the other sections. I recall we also sold some spoken word stuff, including the speeches of Churchill.
(31 October 2012)

( Jan 3, 2016) My Uncle Cyril started his electrical business in a very simple way, as a small electrical repair shop that he extended by buying neighbouring shops as his business grew. I remember visiting in the 1950s, when it was very up-market. It had a boardroom, which was very grand as not many small businesses had a boardroom in those days. The staff, including Peggy and Don, were very polite and respectful to Mr Spouge, who always drove the latest Jaguar cars, but he didn't lord it over them, and they were very loyal to him. He told them that if they worked hard they would have a job for life.
The shop sold wirelesses and gramophones, and the records were upstairs. His shop was probably the first to have booths where you could sit and listen to records before buying them.
For our wedding in 1956 he gave us a Bush portable radiogram and a selection of 10 inch long-play 33 1/3 rpm records including 'Dancing with Victor Sylvester', The Glasgow Orpheus Choir, the LSO playing Peer Gynt, 'S'wonderful' by Ray Conniff and Bill Haley's 'Rock Around the Clock'. Comment: Bob Spouge.


Comment
I bought my first record, Sugar Sugar by the Archies from Spouges on the 17th Jan 1970. I still have the record.
I also have a card sleeve for a 10"shellac record that gives the shops phone number as 779. Does anyone know when the shop first opened?

Name
Patrick Barclay

Comment
i fondly remember C R Spouge always buying my vinyl singles / LP's from 1963. The manager was Mr Don Thacker always lovely walking through the lighting display (dodging the one's hung from the ceiling) before reaching the record department. To buy a Dynatron you were invited into the rear showroom. Little man can't remember his name always so knowable.

Name
Brian Pocklington
(2020)

Comment
I started work at Spouges in 1951 as an apprentice, when I was 15. The pay was 22 shillings a week. I didn't stay there long, partly as all I ever seemed to do was hump TVs and typewriters around, up and down stairs, plus I had to work all day Saturdays so missed playing football, but mainly because I was offered an apprenticeship with GN Haden heating and ventilation engineers.
Name
Michael Parker
​(2023)

View on the ColinVille blog