DO you remember when Woolies burnt down in one of Colchester's biggest fires?
Old retail favourite Woolworth's had occupied 40-50 High Street since 1965 and the company had been trading in Colchester since 1914.
On October 2 1973, the building was destroyed by the biggest fire Colchester had seen for 20 years.
The blaze, which broke out in a pile of cushions on a linen counter during the lunchtime rush, caused £2.5 million of damage.
The flames were so huge that police originally believed a bomb had exploded.
Nearly 200 firefighters from all over Essex and Suffolk battled for 12 hours to stop the fire spreading along the High Street, but there was little they could do to save the shop.
Police released several e-fits of men wanted in connection with the fire.
A £4 million rebuilding programme began and the store reopened on October 1975 with a new butcher’s and bakery.
But economic troubles succeeded where fire had failed and it closed again in January 1985, with the loss of 70 jobs.
It was finally brought back to Colchester by popular demand in 1998, to Culver Square where H&M now stands.
Woolies went into administration in late 2008, faced with £385 million of debt.
The chain closed 815 stores nationwide including in Chelmsford, Sudbury, Halstead, Dovercourt and Clacton, forcing 30,000 out of work.
- Do you have any old pictures of Woolworth's you'd like to share? Send them to gazette.news@nqe.com
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