Littlewoods

The Pauls Company...

Well, there was Littlewoods, we all remember, and then there was Vernons.

The Vernons Girls.

The song was a cover of the Clyde McPhatter hit, released at the same time in the- it did it in the US.

Oh, so I know what Janet Fraser is.

It was a, um, what's it called? It was a, um, the Littlewoods call center.

Oh, so it was a catalog company.

Like literally, you know, you would get a catalog delivered through the door with clothes and furniture and just everything in, and you could order from the catalog, and typically you wouldn't have to pay for it straight away.

So I went in and I did bookings in, So for three months into peak, I literally was ringing up.

Before online portals, I'd be ringing up Argos, Littlewoods, Amazon to book in our trailer of this, 17 pallets, give me a booking slot, can I have a reference number and all that, and just giving it to the transport

team.

And I never left.

Other finds suggest how staff spent their time off.

There are blank Littlewoods football pools coupons from 1957 and a fragment of theater listings from an 1889 edition of The Standard.

A battered pair of black hobnail boots and an empty silk cut packet also emerged from the building.

Then there is a document showing just how carefully a royal evening was organized.

So that'll be keeping me busy for the next few weeks.

Yeah, it's like when they were Littlewoods or the Argos would drop through the door for you, isn't it? Like a real exciting time here.

Yeah, I know.

I think it's too far ago now, Newmarket, it's a reflecting race to race and a lot's been said about it.

It's the equivalent of a Sears and Roebuck thing for American listeners, okay? So we had Grattons.

Littlewoods used to have one as well, didn't they? Big sort of, ooh, look at this, I'll buy all this.

Anyway, I saw a gazebo.

Everybody's gripped by this, aren't they? Don't worry, we'll move on in a second.

PSR, the first time the Premier League brought it in was after Man City were bought.

to try and combat them Liverpool right the biggest club in Liverpool was Everton up to the 1960s by miles and then it was the people who ran Littlewoods Littlewoods you know what did the pools and Littlewood shops they actually bought Liverpool in the 1960s and made them what they are under Shankly and everything And obviously they didn't spend the same kind of money.

They had to work at it, but it was still the same sort of thing.

And because it's coming around in cycles to other teams, they're trying to lock the door.

Ascombe, one of his mates, Colin, he was raised by his aunt and he was born with the name Littlewood.

So the business became Littlewoods Football Pools.

Oh, wow.

So famous.

Do you know what his other business is? No, I don't know.

Same name.

Littlewoods Mail Order Catalogue.

Of course it was Littlewoods, yeah.

They're all worth money.

I don't know if you remember things like Littlewoods catalogues.

Big ones, yeah.

All that sort of stuff is worth, you know, not huge money, but it's growing in value all the time.

There used to be these catalogues and they'd be like, there's a big book and A bigger than A4.

And the Littlewoods catalogue would have everything in it from kettles to clothes to ladies in underwear.

Do you remember the ladies in underwear? That must be like satisfying.

And you would order what you wanted and then it would take two weeks to come and then you would try it on.