Dingles of Plymouth

From the collection of

Established in 1992, the South West Film & Television Archive collection spans from 1893 to the present day containing more than 250,000 items. Formed from a variety of depositors, including broadcast news and programmes material from the Westward and TSW archive. In 2018 the archive collection transferred to The Box in Plymouth.

Dingles of Plymouth

The Box
Plymouth
1960-01-01
Sound

A charming regional commercial for Plymouth's best loved department store.

Dingles actually is on parade for really royal service although not anymore. The well loved department store situated on Royal Parade in Plymouth in Devon trades as House of Fraser but Plymothians still call this important corner of the town Dingles. Edward Dingle opened a drapery in 1880 and gradually built up the business by buying up properties and in 1935 bought out the gentleman's outfitters W J Vickery & Co Ltd with brothers Ralph and Stanley joining the Dingles Board.

Dingles burnt down twice, once in 1941 and again in 1998 but each time rose from the ashes to trade again. When it was re-established during post war reconstruction in 1951 it was the first new department store to open since 1938. Regional television advertising allowed local businesses to market brands in their geographical area and adverts were often cheaper and therefore less professional than national campaigns. Revenue from advertising remains a major source of income for privately owned television companies and broadcasters.

Near Your Local Cinema

Local goods for local people! Screen advertising wasn’t all national brands and chain stores.

Purpose-built cinemas began appearing around Britain shortly before WWI, booming in popularity during the War and developing into the ‘picture palaces’ of the 1920s - when adverts jostled for space alongside newsreels before the main feature. Local businesses were quick to see the potential of a big screen and a captive audience to promote their wares.

While they didn’t have access to the budgets of the national brands, regionally-specific businesses had the benefit of that personal touch. Products and services evolved over time, but that scratchy ad for your local Indian restaurant, so integral to the cinema-going experience into the 1990s, had its roots in the booming entrepreneurship of the industry many decades before.