High Wycombe shops readers said they miss including Woolworths and Blockbuster

And Bucks Free press readers have revealed the places they miss the most as the high street continues to change with the rise of online shopping and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are five of the favourite stores you said you wish you could back to and browse. 

Woolworths

One of the most mentioned stores that readers miss in High Wycombe is Woolworths

Woolworths (3d & 6d Store) first opened to shoppers on the Church Street side of Queen Square in 1927.

The store then acquired the Red Lion Hotel in the High Street with the new Woolworths store was officially opened by Miss United Kingdom on September 7, 1972.

The store closed its doors for the final time in January 2009, having stood in the town centre for 40 years.

The iconic Red Lion Hotel site is now occupied by B&M and Iceland.

Murrays

In the mid-20th Century, Murrays was THE iconic Wycombe department store.

The concept of a department store was new to town in the 1940s with Marks & Spencer not opening until 1958.

Murrays was known as a ‘walk-round’ store, and became an instant success.

The ‘wave canopy’ above the front entrance to the store and the clock which moved up-and-down with the lifts, became icons in the town centre.

James ‘Jim’ Rivett, owner of the historic store, has been credited with transforming High Wycombe’s Octagon shopping centre, developing a small shop into a thriving department store.

In the early 80s Murrays experienced difficult trading conditions and made substantial losses with the iconic store sadly closed down on March 30, 1985.

(Image: High Wycombe Society)

Scorpion Records

High Wycombe’s hub for vinyl lovers Scorpion Records closed in 2006 after 30 years of trading.

The closure of the shop in Oxford Road marked the end of an era for many who made it their first port of call since it opened in 1977.

Owner Jeff Amor named the shop after his star sign, Scorpio, and started it from humble beginnings selling records in Wycombe market on Fridays and Saturdays.

At the time, he said: "I was selling records in Wycombe market in my spare time. I suppose you could say I was a frustrated record buyer because I had to travel to London to get my own vinyl.”

Sainsbury's, in Dovecot Road has since taken over the whole parade of shops where Scorpion Records was based.

Blockbuster

Also replaced by Sainsbury’s was Blockbuster who closed on New Year’s Eve in 2005 to make way for supermarket giant

Children now will never know the excitement of a night trip to Blockbuster to rent a film in today’s streaming world.

Before the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime, Blockbuster was the place to go to choose a film and pick up some movie snacks.

There were also Blockbuster stores all around the surrounding areas, including in Marlow, Beaconsfield and Hazlemere.

Blockbuster in Hazlemere

BHS

A more recent victim of the collapse of the traditional high street, British Home Stores (BHS) closed its doors in 2016.

It was a familiar fixture in town centre for many years since it was first set up in 1928.

The High Wycombe store, in the Eden Shopping Centre, was one of the first across the UK to close its doors.

The chain sold a range of items, including clothes, household items, furniture, electronics, groceries, and beauty products.

Which stores do you miss the most? If we have missed your favourites, let us know in the comments.