A new book exploring the history of Launceston’s shops is currently in the works, and now the author would like to hear memories from the community.

During a simple walk with some friends, following the town trail, it became apparent to local man Phil World that his friends and, presumably, many others in the local area had memories of what today’s shops had been years ago.

‘Did that used to be a wool shop?’, ‘Wasn’t that a butchers’?’ were just some of the questions asked on the walk, and it got Phil thinking.

“I decided the shops had changed so much in the last ten years or so, they needed to be recorded now,” he said. So Phil set about taking a photo of every shop in Launceston’s town centre, but as he took the pictures and began to piece everything together, he thought it would be valuable to match up old photos with the new ones.

Since he first started, the project has grown exponentially - it’s now a book with nearly 300 pages, and the first two copies have already been printed, with one being sent to Lawrence House Museum.

Exploring each street in the town, the shops featured in Phil’s book, ‘Shops of Launceston’, would no doubt spark memories for many. The space in which Superdrug resides today was once part of the Castle Hotel, which operated a courtesy horse and carriage to and from the local railway station to save guests a steep journey up the hill into the town.

At 4 High Street, home to The Colour Lounge today, the shop served the community as both Wilson and Downing chemists. If you look up, you can see a phoenix sitting above the shop, said to represent the work of chemistry. 6 High Street, now the home of Millerson Estate & Letting Agents with flats above, was where Folley & Reynolds once operated.

Phil discovered that at Christmas, Mrs Folley would open up a room to become a Christmas wonderland, stocked with festive treats and goods, although she was supposedly picky with whom she would allow in. The shop had its own bags with the iconic Folley’s logo, and staff were instructed to be precise when wrapping purchased items, so that the logo was always on display.

There is so much more to be discovered in the Shops of Launceston book, and Phil has plans to have more copies printed so the community can delve deeper into the world of Launceston’s retail past. In the book, Phil writes: “So, with a bit of luck, shops will continue to operate in our towns. For many they invoke important memories – being treated to sweets as a child; going to a coffee bar as a teenager; buying clothes for a special night out; getting wool to knit clothes for an impending baby...”

But now it’s over to you, Lanson. Phil would like to hear from anyone with memories of our local

shops. If you have something to share, please email philworld@live.co.uk

Phil freely confesses to shamelessly plundering the Launceston Then! website and the memories of staff at the museum, and wholeheartedly recommends them to anyone interested in the history of Launceston.