The Moor is no stranger to change; The past six years have seen a new market, cinema, bowling alley and shops such as H&M and Primark open.
With an increase in developments including the nearby Grosvenor House on Charter Square, there’s no better time to pay tribute to one of Sheffield’s best loved stores.
Opened in 1857 by Edwin Redgate, the first store was on Fargate and sold furs and sewing machines. In 1898 William Nunn married Edwin’s daughter Annie and became a partner in the business. By 1918 George Nunn had taken charge and, after visiting the Manchester toy fair, had decided to bring more toys to the store.
After getting bombed during the war, Redgates moved to Ecclesall Road followed in 1954 by a move to Moorhead finally settling into a purpose built store on Furnival Gate in 1962.
It’s this period where Redgates had its greatest success. For many people who grew up in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s a trip to town meant a trip to Redgates to wander through a world of toys far more than one could dream of. “It was one of the best toy shops in the city”
Unfortunately success couldn’t last forever and after 129 years of ownership, Redgates was sold to Zodiac toys, who kept the store open for two years. Redgates closed for the final time in 1988.
Enter Maggie Nunn. In 2019 she, began a campaign to get Redgates immortalized. This involved naming the new building the Redgates Centre and unveiling a plaque honoring the building. “I had been campaigning for a while to get Redgates the recognition it deserved, as so many adults have fond memories of the store.”
At 10:30am on the 25th February 2020, joined by a crowd of former workers, BBC Radio Sheffield, the Lady Mayoress and the staff of H&M, Maggie gave a speech honouring the former workers and the staff at H&M who agreed to the Plaque, before officially unveiling the plaque at 10:45am.
“I suppose one thing that upsets me is that today’s children won’t be able to have the sort of experiences Redgates gave. All they really have are huge stores like Toys R Us, and in my opinion they don’t provide the same magic that Redgates had. That’s one of the reasons why I did this. The plaque serves to immortalize Redgates. When young children walk past and ask their parents what Redgates is, their parents will be able to reminisce and keep the stories of Redgates alive for years to come.”
As time marches on and new buildings come up to replace the old, people like Maggie become invaluable as they campaign tirelessly, ensuring that places like Redgates are remembered forever.
Sheffield Reforged 