Tyrrell & Green

Tyrrell & Green

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (department store)
Founded	1897
Founder	Reginald Tyrrell, William Green
Defunct	1996
Fate	Incorporated into John Lewis Partnership
Headquarters	Southampton , England
Products	Drapery, millinery, clothing for women and children
Parent	John Lewis Partnership (from 1934)

Tyrrell & Green was a retail department store located in Southampton, England, which was subsequently incorporated into the John Lewis Partnership brand.

Early history

The business was founded in 1897 by Reginald Tyrrell and William Green, who launched a shop focused on drapery, millinery, and clothing for women and children. Within a year, the store expanded rapidly, moving to Above Bar Street and occupying four adjoining houses. Prior to this, Tyrrell had been a partner in Plummer, Roddis and Tyrrell but exited that venture in 1898. By 1920, Tyrrell had left the firm entirely, leaving Green and his wife to oversee operations. At that time, the business had grown to encompass nine houses with capital amounting to £142,500. In 1930, the Greens retired and sold the enterprise to Barkers of Mile End Road, London—owners of Wickhams. However, displeased with the product standards under Barkers' ownership, the Greens resumed control within a year. In 1934, they sold the company once more, this time to the John Lewis Partnership, which retained the Tyrrell & Green name.

Under John Lewis

The store suffered destruction due to German air raids on 30 November 1940. To sustain business continuity, a smaller outlet was swiftly established in Winchester within one week; shortly after, a temporary location reopened on Above Bar Street in Southampton two months later. The Winchester branch continued alongside five other stores until its closure in 1955. Meanwhile, Southampton operations were dispersed across several sites including Above Bar Street, Bargate, and High Street. Between 1955 and 1956, Tyrrell & Green consolidated all activities into new premises at 138-152 Above Bar Street.

By 1957, the store achieved its first turnover exceeding £100,000. As part of John Lewis, it operated successfully with only minor adjustments such as shutting down its hairdressing salon in 1989 and introducing a gift shop in 1992. In 1996, John Lewis announced plans to relocate to the upcoming Westquay Shopping Centre under its own brand identity. Consequently, Tyrrell & Green ceased trading on 23 September 2000.

Plans were made to demolish the original building and replace it with an arts centre by 2008; however, economic challenges postponed complete demolition.