Jones & Higgins

Loved this department store. Record department was OK as I remember in the 60s / 70s and I bought most of my records from here. Had three or four listening booths. I remember a rather grumpy elderly lady working there. Comment: Peter Bauckham

There was a caged parrot that would greet you as you entered this store. The record section was fairly good. Yes, the woman at the counter was a grump. Became ''The Houndsditch Centre'' I think later on in the 1980s. Comment: Peter Le Faucheur

(Apr 20, 2014) Steve said:Remember looking through their album covers on a weekly basis in the late 60s early 70's, remember buying a few singles there as well including Manfred Mann's 'The Mighty Quinn'.

(Jan 118,205) I was a school girl and remember Tony Blackburn opened the record store, and the bird was Morris he was a minor bird. Spent a lot of my youth in that record department. Comment: Eve Kingston.

Name Richard King Comment:Stumbled across this site. I worked in the record dept in the early 70s. The grumpy old lady was Mrs Fearn, known as Ferny. She was the buyer and was very good at selecting the record stock. Christmas was manic. Back in the day, record tokens were very popular and the queue for them lasted nearly all day during the festive period. Remember the listening booths well and the Garrard record decks that provided the music. Picking cd's just doesn't come close to the joy of sorting through LP's.


Name Malcolm Taylor Comment: I have fond memories of using (and abusing!) this store, the record department of which was quite voluminous with booths for listening. I was for a few years a Saturday Assistant in the public library in Peckham Hill Street and J&H became a haunt in my lunch hours there. There was another record shop at the end of Peckham Hill Street, opposite Manze's pie and mash emporium, but J&H was a step above with the shop assistants wearing suits and ties but with not a clue about the wares they were selling. I don't ever remember buying anything in there but would spend every Saturday lunchtime listening before creeping out unseen. Or so I thought! I remember in 1971 or so going in every Saturday and playing Live Taste all the way through before departing. One fateful Saturday a big bloke blocked my escape and a manager called for to ban me from the shop. Fair cop, I guess. (Jan 16, 2017)


Comment
I have fond memories of the record dept at Jones and Higgins and often went in there on my way home from school in the 70s.
On one occasion there was a flood in the basement and as a result a lot of 60s albums emerged at a discount price with no damage. I bought copies of Manfred Mann's 'AsIs'and 'Mighty Garvey'. They had listening booths and also sold record players and hifi.
In the early 80s, the record dept transferred to the basement.
Name
Richard Cook
(2018)


Comment
I don't remember Mrs Fearne, but from early 1978 there was a very pleasant teenager named CHRIS working in the record department. She used to go to Bacon School in Pages Walk SE1. I bought lots of LPs at the time. There was another record shop half way up Rye Lane called REEDS very close to Bournemouth Road.
Name
James Langley
(2019)

Comment
As a kid I accidently broke the window of the 50 shilling taylor's nearly opposite J & H in 1949. Fidgeting while waiting for a bus.
Name
DAN GORDON
(2020)

Comment
My parents dragged me there many weekends in the early 70's, I remember picking the sweets off the floor at the confectionary counter but when an elderly rather posh looking lady watched me, I felt embarrassed and put the sweets on the counter. I went off and asked my dad for some pennies to buy those sweets and the lady serving told me that that same lady had already paid for my sweets because I did good. I went and told my dad and he insisted that I pay her but she refused to accept it and laughed. I was probably 5 then.
Name
Johnny begoode
​(2022)