Gibbons Furniture and The Earl of Amhurst

General chat

I’ve been looking and I can’t find much on E.Gibbons the furniture store at 15(ish) Amhurst Rd for 180 years, next door stood the Earl of Amhurst.From being there at the time, I know…. Around 2001 The Earl of Amhurst became District and Gibbons became a crappy furniture shop. In 2003 the furniture shop went up for auction, but didn’t reach it’s reserve price. On 9th June 2003 at 3am a fire started in the empty building – the plot has been empty since and is currently a car park

Gibsons Fire, Hackney 20

From Strand Building

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/2985734.stm

From http://www.jamespretty.com Does anyone have any other photos?

17 Comments

  1. Have you asked Berris?

  2. I too have looked but cannot find anything. Its odd considering it was there so long. They needed London Shop Fronts on the scene.

  3. I found this…In 1826 a wide variety of shops in Church Street served Hackney village and one in the high road served Kingsland, Dalston, and Stoke Newington. They included booksellers, watchmakers, wine merchants, and, in Hackney, 2 perfumers and 4 confectioners. Both Clapton and Homerton had shops for everyday needs. (fn. 98) Local retailers included Thomas Gibbons, who started as a china and glass dealer in Morning Lane in 1831. His daughter Elizabeth Gibbons moved from Brett Road to Amhurst Road, where, after making room for Matthew Rose & Sons c. 1890, her cash furnishers’ business acquired a row of nine shops and remained a family firm at nos. 1-17 in 1991@chrisdb1 do you have any pics?

  4. hi emily, to my shame I never took any pictures of gibbons, strange because I covered the whole street on both sides in the mid eighties, but for some reason no gibbons shots at all, I do have pics of the aftermath of the fire a couple of days after, when the buldozers moved in ….any use?

  5. @chrisdb1 that is a shame – some after pics would be good. I should have taken some during pics, but I was pretty upset at the time.

  6. @chrisdb1 I asked Berris Conolly who I though had a photo of every Hackney street, but no! There must be photos of it somewhere

  7. I remember in the 1970s there was a book called second look. I think gibbons was in it I don’t know if you can still get it. Was a walk round hackney in the past matthew rose was in it too

  8. @awellwisher thanks for the info, looks like it might be this: A Second Look: A photographic record of a walk through Hackney in the 1890’s and today by I. Renson (Author), M. Silve (Photographer)I will try to get myself a copy

  9. @awellwisher I have the book! Its awesome 🙂 but alas no Gibbons, so the hunt continues 🙁

  10. “

  11. Gibbons Furniture store and Hackney CentralPhoto by Peter Kurton Finally here is one! What a difference. This photo really takes me back I lived above District (the bar at the other end of the block to this pic) for around 4 months before that morning when it burnt down it was a sad sight watching it go :(“

  12. There’s recently been a planning application submitted for student accomodation for the site.

  13. I’d be happy to see something built on there, the empty plot, scaffolding and burnt building still next door is  a reminder of what me and people close to me lost that day.

  14. I have found another picture of Gibbons from a similar angle in B&W.. Earlier than the one above.   Will post soon when I have scanned the neg.  Look on my Flickr photopost for pics of Hackney from late 60s.  Also feel free to comment on them.

  15. @peterkurton great stuff, I look forward to it

  16. It was a well-known toy and baby clothes/pram shop during the ’80s, but struggled as so many indie shops did.

  17. This video has just been posted on YouTube from the news on 11th June 03, it still makes me sad to watch it 
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z86JlxJgBnE

    The video also mentions the Hackney siege which happened in Dec/Jan a few months before hand.

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