Luggage store at Piccadilly Circus, 1955

[Peter C]

Evening all.

In the course of some research I'm doing, I've come across a mention of someone leaving their luggage at a luggage store in or near Piccadilly Circus Underground station in 1955 (that's as much information as I have). I've tried to look into it, but Google just keeps showing information about present-day luggage stores which don't necessarily have heritage stretching back seventy years! I was wondering if anyone on here would perhaps have any memories of using a luggage store around Piccadilly Circus and any details which may come with that (such as where it was/may have been, how much it cost, etc.), or maybe if anyone has any ideas of where I could go to find more information that'd be amazing too.

I did consider putting this in the London Underground forum but thought it fitted better here as it could be a broader topic than just Tube stations?

Thanks in advance for any help.

-Peter

 

[Roger1973]

I don't have any personal memories of the 1950s, and having grown up in suburban London, can't remember a time we would have used a central London left luggage facility.

I can only remember seeing left luggage facilities at main line terminus stations, and can't remember seeing left luggage office / facilities at Underground stations (although my not remembering something doesn't prove it wasn't there - being from SE London, we never used the Underground all that much.) London Transport / Underground must have stopped doing it at some point, and it may have been scaled back as a potential security risk in the 'troubles'.

Out of curiosity, I had a look in a London Transport Underground Guide from 1961 (the oldest issue I have to hand) and was slightly surprised how many stations did have a left luggage facility - Piccadilly Circus is one, but stations including Blake Hall, Essex Road and Wapping can't have had that big a demand.

I assume that (at most if not all locations) it was something that the booking office staff dealt with - I can't imagine it needing dedicated staffing at many of the stations. It doesn't go in to any detail about prices, and the wording 'some are unable to accept bicycles or prams' implies that some could.

I've attached images of the relevant three pages for interest.

Searching on 'left luggage' in the LT Museum collection only brings up an image of the front cover of the relevant ticket office regulations booklet (here)

It's quite possible that (as now) some privately owned shops in the area offered a left luggage facility. Piccadilly Circus is quite well photographed over the years, but a quick scan of some 1950s photos didn't show anything obvious.

 

[Busaholic]

I'm pretty sure that Left Luggage at Underground stations, in Central London at least, would have been in the form of self-service lockers only, under the supervision of booking clerks. I do vaguely recall seeing them somewhere, and it might well have been Piccadilly Circus, which had plenty of space for such things. However, I believe some stores in the West End offered such services too, and Lillywhite's at Piccadilly Circus may have been one such.

 

[Peter C]

Thanks so much @Roger1973 and @Busaholic for your responses - I really do appreciate it. Apologies for the time it's taken to get back to this!
I'm going to keep looking out for any more details about this (using what you've both said as a really useful starting point - you've filled in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge!). As regards to shops with left luggage services - that could be another possibility. The specifics aren't vital to the wider events I'm researching, but it's useful to have at least an idea of what is likely to have happened.
Ideally I'd love to find a photo of one of these left luggage stores - just to see what they were like, more than anything (though I can't imagine they were particularly interesting). I'm going to keep an eye out for any that i find...!

Thanks again for the help with this.

-Peter

 

[Busaholic]

Thanks so much @Roger1973 and @Busaholic for your responses - I really do appreciate it. Apologies for the time it's taken to get back to this!
I'm going to keep looking out for any more details about this (using what you've both said as a really useful starting point - you've filled in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge!). As regards to shops with left luggage services - that could be another possibility. The specifics aren't vital to the wider events I'm researching, but it's useful to have at least an idea of what is likely to have happened.
Ideally I'd love to find a photo of one of these left luggage stores - just to see what they were like, more than anything (though I can't imagine they were particularly interesting). I'm going to keep an eye out for any that i find...!

Thanks again for the help with this.

-Peter

My pleasure, and if I come across any other information or, even better, photographs, I'll be sure to let you know.

 

[Roger1973]

I'm pretty sure that Left Luggage at Underground stations, in Central London at least, would have been in the form of self-service lockers only

Not sure. The wording 'left luggage offices' seems to imply something staffed, would have thought they would have said 'lockers' if that's what they meant (or maybe the term wasn't so common in the 1960s.)

As I say, I've no personal recollection of them at all (although see below).

Thanks so much @Roger1973 and @Busaholic for your responses - I really do appreciate it. Apologies for the time it's taken to get back to this!

I'd forgotten about it, to be honest.

It might be worth starting a thread in the London Underground bit of the forum (I don't know if it's possible on here to ask the moderators to move a thread and / or change the title) as there may be people who haven't noticed this.

I've had another go at the LT Museum collection and been a bit more successful this time.

Notice saying 'left luggage office is closed' and opening hours from 1933, list of cloak room charges for the metropolitan district railway (so before London Transport's corporate identity was established post 1933) including charges for storing bass viols and bath chairs, and a record (but not a picture) of an enamel sign for left luggage lockers from the 1960s / 70s

 

[Peter C]

My pleasure, and if I come across any other information or, even better, photographs, I'll be sure to let you know.

That's amazing - thank you!

Not sure. The wording 'left luggage offices' seems to imply something staffed, would have thought they would have said 'lockers' if that's what they meant (or maybe the term wasn't so common in the 1960s.)

As I say, I've no personal recollection of them at all (although see below).



I'd forgotten about it, to be honest.

It might be worth starting a thread in the London Underground bit of the forum (I don't know if it's possible on here to ask the moderators to move a thread and / or change the title) as there may be people who haven't noticed this.

I've had another go at the LT Museum collection and been a bit more successful this time.

Notice saying 'left luggage office is closed' and opening hours from 1933, list of cloak room charges for the metropolitan district railway (so before London Transport's corporate identity was established post 1933) including charges for storing bass viols and bath chairs, and a record (but not a picture) of an enamel sign for left luggage lockers from the 1960s / 70s

Yes that's a good idea re. the London Underground bit. I'll ask one of the moderators and see what they can do.
Those finds from the LT Museum website are brilliant Roger - thanks for sharing them. I love how varied the items on that cloak room charges list are - everything from harps to hat-boxes, via sewing machines and violoncellos...

-Peter