Local History

"Cinderella's kitchen" at Busbys, 1939

[To read more memories of Busbys' at Christmas and to add your own West Yorkshire memories of Santa's various grottos across the county, go to the bottom of this page!]

Busbys' department store in Manningham Lane may be long gone but it is still regarded with fondness by many Bradfordians, particularly at this time of the year. "The one thing that many people remember the store for was Santa's grotto. Most people in Bradford and surrounding areas had a trip to see Busbys' Santa Claus," says Michael Callaghan and he should know. Michael, Collections Officer for Bradford Museums, has just put together a book, Busbys': A Shop Full of Memories.

A shopping palace? Busbys in Maningham Lane

Michael says Santa's arrival at the store was eagerly anticipated: "Father Christmas and Mother Christmas would arrive on horseback or by carriage,. They would come by train. They might have flown in by helicopter. It was an event. They'd come along Manningham Lane and the crowds would follow, or they'd come up through Bradford and the crowds would follow...It was an annual event for everybody."

A magical moment at Busbys

Each year the grotto would have a different theme and it was the discovery of photos of 'Cinderella's kitchen', taken in 1939, from the C.H. Wood photographic archive at Bradford Industrial Museum, which inspired this new book as well as two exhibitions. The Busby and Wood families were personal friends and C.H. Wood was the biggest commercial photographer in the city. It's not surprising, then, that he should have been commissioned to take photos of the store, covering everything from aerial views of the store to staff sports days, and 106 of these images are used in the new book. However, it was the very popular exhibition of these photos at Bradford Industrial Museum in 2007 that prompted visitors to share many personal memories.

Even Santa could spend a day out at Busbys!

Both the images and recollections used in the new book show that Busbys was definitely not just for Christmas but for all the year round. Michael says: "I think the grotto is something people remember from the store, but I think the store was a special time in shopping. When Busbys moved onto Manningham Lane [from Kirkgate] they started to cater for families. It was more of a day out. You could spend quite a few hours there. You could have a haircut. You could buy your food. You could shop, you could have lunch and then you could go home. You could spend all day in one department store."

Busbys was not just for Christmas...

Ernest Busby had opened his store in Kirkgate, Bradford in 1908. This was a time, Michael reminds us, when the city, with the wealth from its woollen trade, might seem like a very good place to start a shop. In 1929 Busbys moved to Kirkgate where, over the years, it expanded. At the height of its success the store employed over 800 people. Michael believes Busbys were successful in finding a niche market: "They talked about themselves as 'Busbys, the people's store', and it was just in the bracket where people could afford it, but there was some quality as well..." But shopping habits change and in 1958 the department store became part of the Debenhams group although it continued to trade as Busbys until 1974 when it took the name of the parent store.

A letter from Father and Mother Christmas!

That the Busbys considered their shop to be one happy family is suggested by their once famous logo. First used in 1928, and red and black in colour, it shows four marching and helmeted Coldstream guards. In front is the firm's founder Ernest: "He used to explain that it was a symbol of unity - the soldiers were all in step, progress - they were all on the march and uprightness - they were all straight and erect." Whatever its significance for Ernest, the logo's jolly appearance may be one reason why it is still so fondly remembered in Bradford.

Santa and his helpers...

Basing their business practice on such principles, work on the Christmas grotto would start in June, and every letter to Santa would get a personal handwritten reply from Father and Mother Christmas. Debenhams closed their Bradford store in 1978 and in 1979 the building - once such a palace of shopping - was destroyed by fire. All that remain now are memories, photos and perhaps one or two carefully preserved letters from Busbys' Santa.

Father and Mother Christmas arriving in 1939

[The book, Busbys': A Shop Full of Memories by Michael Callaghan and Colin Neville, is officially launched at the Bradford 1 Gallery on Thursday December 4th 2008 at 6pm and can be obtained after that date from Bradford's Museums and Galleries. All images used are (c) Bradford Museums, Galleries and Heritage]