Help and Information
Website Overview
The Woolworths Museum examines the long and distinguished history of the Main Street and High Street store chains of North America and the British Isles that pioneered mass-manufactured goods at fixed low prices, making luxuries affordable to ordinary people for the first time. It also celebrates their surviving children and cousins around the globe who have managed to reinvent themsleves without sacrificing Frank Woolworth's guiding principles. The contents have not been approved by the current owner of the dormant brand in the UK, though the Directors of the store-based company authorised the publication unchanged when it was first written.
Like a 'real' museum, the content has been curated into Galleries. Each Decade has its own Gallery, as does each Range, as well as the People and Working Conditions. Our Media Galleries feature our favourites from a library of thousands of photographs of the stores, products and people stretching back from recent times to the earliest days. As well as shining a light on the history of retailing, they also give an insight into almost 150 years of British and American Social History and two World Wars. The Media Gallery also includes a Virtual Cinema crammed with movies and commercials, and a selection from our huge collection of the chain's own label records stretching from 1914 to 2008. We've also included a Just for Fun Gallery, with interactive price quizes which you can play on-screen, a multimedia strange-but-true pub quiz that is phone as well as tablet and PC friendly, and quiz question sheets you can print for your friends and a set of answers just for you.
Please choose a gallery by clicking its button in the horizontal top navigation bar which appears on every regular page. Either that click will take you straight to an item or it will open a gallery menu with further options. With over 500 pages this allows us to keep the navigation simple, taking one step to the gallery and another to the exhibit.
All of our images have both 'alt' and 'title' tags, meaning that if you float your mouse over them they will tell you what you are looking it, and often where it fits into the story. We've also included hyperlinks in the text, normally to related content that can be accessed from the menus, but occasionally to bonus items related to your area of interest that don't yet feature in the main menus.
We've also included two others ways to the find what you are looking for quickly.
- There is a sitemap which incorporates all the top navigation and gallery menu options laid out in a logical order. It is presented in two formats, There is an accessible CSS formatted version , and a plain html layout, which is suitable for older devices that don't support either CSS or Javascript, or that have very small low resolution screens. For your convenience we've also included a copy of the accessible site map at the foot of this page.
- New for 2023, we have reworked and upgraded our Zoom 8 ® Search Engine. There's a link to it on the top right of every page. You can search for one or more words, choose whether to match any or all of them, and opt for for 10, 20, 50 or 100 results per page. We've added thumbnails for all 550 pages, as well as for the 1,000+ images on the site. Searching is easy. You are welcome to put it to the test and experiment to find what works for you. It's a very fast way of tracking down any information we may have about particular people, locations or historical events, or to track down pictures to illustrate storylines about many aspects of British, Candadian and American retail and social history, as well as the subsidiaries in Germany, Mexico, Africa and the Caribbean.
Supported browsers and Multimedia Content
The site content was extensively reworked in Spring 2017 to improve its performance on mobile, with the pages adopting responsive design, and deploying compression and other enhancements available using Google's PageSpeed tools. Each page's media has been optimized with lossless compression. The media content is HTML5 compliant, and includes the variants to support all of the major browsers including Google Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and recent editions of Edge and Internet Explorer. New content and features were added for 2023, including reworking the elements that were dependent on Adobe Flash technology which has recently fallen out of favour. We have included at least three different formats of every audio and video item, allowing your web browser to select its preferred data layout. By default movie content is played embedded into a webpage, or the player can be expanded to full screen. Each film has audio description closed captions (enhanced sub-titles), which will open automatically if that feature is enabled in your browser preferences.
Copyright and Author Information
All of the content is protected by Copyright, as explained in the About Gallery. In summary we welcome non-commercial use by students and enthusiasts, and ask only for a mention as the source if you use our content. Commercial use requires a licence. Certain content is licenced from third parties, or appears under the historical interest copyright exemption. We have used technology to prevent our content being embedded on third-party websites, exploiting our bandwidth.
The site author is Paul Seaton. The content and layout are © Copyright 3D and 6D Pictures Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, No 7007907. The site is published by WWW Group Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, No. 7018298, Share your feedback.
If you are using a very small touch screen and would prefer a
sitemap in plain HTML with triple line-spacing, making it easier
to select a page, please visit our plain text Site Map
Site Map
Introducing the Museum
Introducing the Woolworths Museum
Home and School Use of our content and use on-line
Commercial and media use of our images, media and storylines
Legal information about the Museum
Quick Reference Guides
Interactive multimedia timeline
One page history for screens and phones
One page history to download and keep, print or share
Date Galleries
1870-1899
Introducing the Woolworth brothers
Birthplace of the 5 & 10¢ Store
1900s
US Expansion:
UK beginnings
Financing and setting up the Company
Join us on opening day in Liverpool
1910s
USA The Sky's the Limit
The World War and its Consequences
Working for F.W. Woolworth in the 1910s
Revolution in Britain and Ireland's High Streets
6 stores across Northern England
1920s
"The Girl from Woolworths" movie
Down under and the sincerest form of flattery
1930s
Openings transform the High Street
Woolies' first character items
World War II and the 1940s
Fire from the sky as British and German Cities face the Blitz
Woolworth staff buy two Spitfires for the RAF
FWW UK becomes a D-Day 'home from home'
V1 and V2 Rockets and the Darkest Hour
1950s
H.M. Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation
- Store front
- Sweets and ices
- Pic'n'mix
- Toiletries and cosmetics
- Pictures, artificial flowers and fancy goods
- Christmas cards and decorations
- Toys
- Cards, stationery and books
- Wool and haberdashery
- Children's, Men's and Ladies' Fashions
- Music
- China and Glassware
- Grocery
- Kitchen and Homewares
- Paint, DIY and Repair
- Restaurant
- Building the store
- Grand staircase
Fiftieth birthday celebrations
1960s
Woolworth goes out of town with Woolco
Computerisation and Central Distribution
1970s
Decimalisation - counting the cost
The Wonder of Woolworth campaigns
View ads from defining 70s campaign
Brascan's hostile takeover bid in the USA
100 Years in Main Street USA and Canada
1980s
Acquisition of B&Q by F.W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd.
'21st Century Shopping', Concept Store
The Cornerstone Business Strategy
Launch of The Video Collection
Launch of exclusive Ladybird licence
Working for Woolies in the Kingfisher Years (1982-2001)
The Lighter Side of the Eighties at Woolworths
1990s
Limited Story Stores with more specialist ranges
A Standalone Ladybird store - picture gallery
Spectacular £100m profits in 1997
American Woolworth "retires" after 118 years
Keith The Alien brand advertising character
2000s
New values and a new direction
Visit a new-look Woolworths Out-of-Town, as it opened in 2005
The Main Woolworth Product Ranges
Sweets / Candy
New brands and lines for the Fifties
Woolworth's - the Good Ship Lollipop
Toys & Games
Chad Valley A Woolies brand from 1988 to 2009, now owned by Argos
Toys for Toffs, the early ranges
TV changes everything in the 1950s and 1960s
Music & Video
- Little Wonder 818: Au Revoir but not Good-bye (Soldier Boy)
- Little Wonder 912: Hail the Blest Morn & Hark the Herald Angels
- Little Wonder 721: Over There (Evocative tenor solo from World War I)
- Little Wonder 739: The Missouri Waltz (Hawaiian Guitar Duet)
- Little Wonder 846: Ten Little Indians (Vocal Quartet)
- 5in 5400: Oh dem golden slippers
- 5in 5485: Torreador Song from Bizet's Carmen
- 5in F112: Oh I do like Blackpool Rock
- 5in series: Tea For Two
- 5in series: Little Brown Jug
- 6in 1038: Thanks for the Buggy Ride
- 6in 1079: Bye Bye Blackbird
- 6in 1146: Stars and Stripes March
- 6in series: Red Red Robin (extract)
- 6in 21: Old Time Favourites
- 6in 22: What Shall we do with a Drunken Sailor?
- Nursery 305A: Little Bo Peep
- Nursery 307A: Three Blind Mice (medley)
- Nursery F154: Oranges and Lemons
- Nursery F136: Sing a Song of Sixpence
- P12: Golden Dreamboat
- P16: To-mor-row Land
- P34: Days of Tut-ank-amen
- P38: Yes We Have No Bananas
- P204: Why do short men like tall girls?
- P33 6in: Headin' for Louisville
- P87 6in: When the Sahara Sleeps
- P87b 6in: Morning Noon and Night
- P99 6in: August We Sind Deine Haare
- P221: Brown Eyes Why Are You Blue?
- Painting the clouds with sunshine
- John Brown's body
- Sonny Boy
- Broadway Melody
- Adorable You
- Me and the man in the moon
- C.O.N.S.T.A.N.T.I.N.O.P.L.E.
- Doesn't that mean anything to you?
- My Love Parade
- Springtime in the Rockies
- The Yodelling Shepherd
- The Laughing Policeman
- A Children's Dance
- The Farmer in the Dell
- Mary had a little lamb
- 4 My Baby Just Cares For Me
- 72 Goodnight, Sweetheart
- 140A Rhymes Part 1
- 140B Rhymes Part 2
- 249A It Ain't No Fault of Mine
- 263A Underneath the Arches
- 645A The Penny Song Sheet Part 1
- 645B The Penny Song Sheet Part 2
- 306A Don't Go Any Higher Jeremiah
- 713A Liitle Man you've had a busy day
- 713B Humming You Glum Times Away
- 835A Sing as we Go
- 835B Sing the Song of Happiness
- 845A The Man on the Flying Trapeze
- 877A The Continental
- 931A Easter Parade
- Featured song The Lion and Albert (the finest that Woolworths could sell) by Teddy Williams
- 1A: Mrs Jack Hylton and her Band - In a Little Gipsy Tea Room
- 3A: Ben Hammond and his Orch. - On the Good Ship Lollipop
- 12A: Roy Laroche - Red Sails in the Sunset
- 19A Ben Hammond and his Orch. - Why was I born
- 31A: The Rythm Rascals - Mickey's Son and Daughter
- 57A: The Radio Seranaders - Cheek to Cheek
- 91A: Ben Hammond and His Orch. - The King's Navee
- 113A: The Rythm Rascals - I've got a Feeling you're Fooling
- 137A: Rossini's Accordion Band - Vocal Gems from Top Hat FEATURING VERA LYNN Side 1
- 137B: Rossini's Accordion Band - Vocal Gems from Top Hat FEATURING VERA LYNN Side 2
- 308A: Rossini's Accordion Band - Swing Time 1
- 308B: Rossini's Accordion Band - Swing Time 2
- 1351 (Canada/USA): Buddy Blue and His Texans - I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in five and ten cent store)
Making 78 rpm records in the 1930s
Royal Coronation of H. M. Queen Elizabeth II 1953
- WB107: Rita WIlliams - (If You Just) Smile
- WB154: Pearl Carr - I'll never stop loving you
- WB178: Four in a Chord - Twenty Tiny Fingers
- WB210: Beryl Templeman - Lay Down Your Arms
- WB213: Denny Dennis - Lullaby of Birdland
- WB322: Paul Rich - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
- WB300a: Maureen Evans - Stupid Cupid
- WB309: Maureen Evans - Hoola Hoop
- WB300b: Maureen Evans - Carolina Moon
- WB159: Bob Dale - I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
- Kay Barry's rendition of 'Bobby's Girl' from 1962
- Bobby Stevens' performs 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport' from 1961
- Ricky Henderson's Elvis cover 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' from 1961
- Johnny Worth's cover 'What do you Wanna Make Those Eyes at Me For from 1960
- Mike Redway's cover of Cliff Richard's masterpiece 'Summer Holiday' from 1964
- The Typhoons' cover of the Beatles' 'Please Please Me' from 1963
- The Typhoons' cover of the Beatles' 'From Me To You' from 1963
- The Typhoons' cover of the Beatles' 'She Loves You' from 1963
- Ray Pilgrim's cover of The Beatles' 'Twist and Shout' from 1963
- Matt Bryant and Linda Joyce's glarious 'Goodness Gracious Me' (1961)
- Paul Rich of Lionel Bart's 'Fings Ain't What They Used To Be'
- Johnny Worth's cover of Cliff Richard's hit 'Living Doll' from 1961
- Chevron's Madness on Parade of Pops - One Step Beyond from 1979
- Chevron's cover of the Banana Splits from 1979
- Sir Henry Cooper's awesome 'I'm 'enery the Eighth I am' from 1979
- Parade of Pops can't quite match Gloria Gaynor's I will Survive from 1979
- LA Sounds knew where they were going to, with this cover of the Theme from Evergreen (1979)
- The Hamilton Pop Orchestra's 'Spanish Flea' from 1979
- Radio 2's Cliff Adams Singers do 'Sunshine of my Life' from 1979
- Instrumental by The Donettes - 'Winter Wonderland' from 1979
- Woolworth Canada's Madison Records rendition of 'The Stripper' from 1975
- Not quite Elvis Costello, Parade of Pops' 'Oliver's Army' from 1979
- The Winfield Brass on Warwick Records with Woolworth's 'The Wonder March' from Woolies' 1975-1978's TV Ads
- Radio Commercial for Chevron Cassettes for 99p (Xmas 1979)
Clothing / Apparel
Make it yourself patterns and thread
History of the Ladybird Company
Building fashion sales (1950-80)
Kids and Celebrations In-Store
Home, Kitchen & Garden
The History of China and Glass at Woolworth
Thrift and economy - DIY at FWW
Blooming good - seeds, bulbs and plants
Stationery & Cards
Early US and UK stationery items
The cards our grandparents sent
P-p-p-pick up a Penguin (originally at Woolies)
Picture Histories - all time best seller
Christmas
- Little Wonder 1914: Hail the Blest Morn
- Eclipse 1933: Christmas with Tommy
- Eclipse 1933: Dancing Snowflakes
- Eclipse 1932: Christmas Bells
- Eclipse 1932: Christians Awake
- Eclipse 1933: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
- Embassy 1960: Bless This House
- Embassy 1960: I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus
- Embassy 1960: Jingle Bells
- Embassy 1960: Little Donkey
- Embassy 1960: Little Drummer
- Embassy 1960: Mary's Boy Child
- Embassy 1963: Must Be Santa
- Embassy 1960: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Embassy 1961: Silent Night
- Embassy 1960: The First Noël
- Embassy 1960: Village Street
- Embassy 1961: Virgin Mary
- Kenny Bardell's White Christmas (Embassy 1960)
- Bob Dale's White Christmas (Embassy 1960)
- Elizabeth Humphries: The Twelve Days of Christmas (Embassy 1960)
- Embassy Choristers: Away in a Manger from 1960
- The Donnettes: Winter Wonderland Instrumental (1979)
- Wooly and Worth - Winter Wonderland (Crimson CD 2005)
Woolworths People, Careers and Working Conditions
Biographies of the American 5¢ & 10¢ Store Founders
Biographies of the British 3D & 6D Store Founders
Working for 'FWW'
A day in the life of a Sales Assistant (Clerk) in the 1930s, in words and pictures
Unique social history from Woolworth's Staff Magazine
British Golden Jubilee Celebrations in 1959
Updated working conditions after 1960
Computerised Centralised Accounting, Distribution and Administration
From Rail to Road, adapting the Supply Chain for new ranges and ways of working
Face time
Honouring The Fallen
After hours
1920s Charity and Community Work
World Class Multimedia
Digital Gramophones, Juke Boxes and Song Players
Listen to digitally restored Sixpenny 78rpm Gramophone Records
1920s Discs by Little Marvel®, The Mimosa® and The Victory&rreg;
1930s Eclipse® & Crown® Records
Fifties, Sixties and Seventies Jukeboxes
1960s 33rpm Embassy Albums and Extended-Play 45 rpm Singles
1970s Chevron Cassettes and Coloured Vinyl Records
Digital Downloads celebrating ninety-nine Christmases at the Heart of the High Street
Image Galleries, with optional captions and contemporary music
A Century to Celebrate
That's the Wonder of Woolworth
Just a little bit of history repeating
Huge Woolco out of town stores - closed by Kingfisher after twenty years as a bad idea
Huge Big W out of town stores - opened by Kingfisher twenty years later as a good idea
Catalogue Shops - closed as loss-making
Woolworths Direct Catalogue - launched by the same people as a good idea a decade later
The Red Book, Woolworths Direct all over again!
Movie Theatre
Choose a free movie ticket at our Box Office
- The Good Ship Lollipop (Sweets)
- Century of Toys
- Easter Parade (Fashion)
- The Last Noël (Xmas)
- Video Launch
- First Commercial
- The Wonder of Woolworth
- Star Parade
- Windows
- Wannabeee (Wooly & Worth)
- 1980s Movers and Shakers
- 1990s Business Leaders
- The Noughties: 21st Century Leaders
- Ugly Duckling store transformation 2003
- Staff work for Kids First Charity
For Fun
Multimedia Interatcive Pub Quiz