{"id":5513,"date":"2014-01-10T01:02:58","date_gmt":"2014-01-10T01:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thedomesticsoundscape.com\/wordpress\/?p=5513"},"modified":"2014-01-10T01:08:26","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T01:08:26","slug":"jacksons-of-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thedomesticsoundscape.com\/wordpress\/?p=5513","title":{"rendered":"Jacksons of Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jacksons of Reading<\/a> was founded in 1875 by Edward Jackson and began life as a gentlemen\u2019s outfitters shop. <\/p>\n

It expanded to include a lingerie section, a haberdashery, shoe sales, and a yarn department. When it closed for business on Christmas Eve, 2013, it was being run by Edward Jackson’s great-grandson, Brian Carter. It was a family-run department store with unbroken links to an earlier epoch in retail history; an iconic and much-loved local landmark.<\/p>\n

You could buy huge sacks of bargaineous yarns from Sirdar and Wendys and Twilleys of Stamford in Jacksons. <\/p>\n

\"27_wool\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"28_wool\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In fact my first proper grown-up sweater was knit with Sirdar sublime, purchased at a Jacksons of Reading sale.<\/p>\n

\"01_Sirdar_Sweater\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

Jacksons was also a great supplier of proper big lady pants and Triumph bras; Appletons Crewel Wool; tea-towels; Harris Tweed sporting jackets for men; school uniforms; nylons; buttons; and those amazing swimming hats that have flowers on them. <\/p>\n

All that stock is gone now. <\/p>\n

\"07_AmazingShelving\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"11_old=shop\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"10_display\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The yarn – plus some staff from the Wool department – are resuming a new life as Rosie’s Wool Ltd. in Cheapside<\/a>; and the school uniforms have gone to Stevensons. Most of the other stock was sold in a bonanza “EVERYTHING MUST GO” sale towards Christmas. <\/p>\n

Jacksons had creaky floors, extensive wooden-paneling, and to me was especially magical because it contained the last operational pneumatic change system <\/a>in the UK. <\/p>\n

\"17_LamsonsBasement\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"04_PneumaticTubes\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This change system was installed in the 1940s and is still in good working order. I quickly learnt that if I purchased a hanky for about a quid and paid with a fiver, I could watch my donuts disappearing up a chute in a little metal capsule. They’d return moments later with my change and receipt, wrapped in a rubber band. I recorded the sounds of the chute in action for the Sound Diaries UK Soundmap \/ sonic time capsule project, and you can hear it here<\/a> and below if you would like to share my nerdy obsession.<\/p>\n

listen to ‘The Pneumatic Money Tube at Jackson's Department Store’ on Audioboo<\/a><\/div>\n