Leonard Dews is actually one of the oldest jewellers in the North West and has had prominence for 146 years. The current owners Hymans, who had another jewellery business in Blackpool, bought the shop in 1959. But sadly, it is closing down for good with a sale on jewellery this weekend. When it was first established, Queen Victoria was on the throne and Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister. The iconic store is even older than Blackpool Tower. These exclusive photos delve into the Leonard Dews archive and show the successful Blackpool business through the years.
In case you missed them: Blackpool’s Leonard Dews jewellers set to close
1. Memories of Leonard Dews
Side by side - Leonard Dews and Hymans dominated the corner of Market Street and Church Street in this picture from the 1970s Photo: Leonard Dews
3. Memories of Leonard Dews
Leonard Dews is one of the oldest jewellers in the North West and has been delighting its customers since 1877 Photo: submit
4. Memories of Leonard Dews
A scene of the shop, probably mid 1970s. Leonard Dews, with its high-end diamonds, weathered historic economic storms and flourished through the decades Photo: Leonard Dews
5. Memories of Leonard Dews
The jewellers actually predates Blackpool Tower Photo: Leonard Dews
6. Memories of Leonard Dews
Beauty queen Barbara Smith took part in a staged smash and grab raid at Hymans as a novel way of celebrating the store's revamp and centenary in 1977 Photo: Leonard Dews