Ex-cheesemonger at ‘The Bon’ delighted Gloucester landmark is saved

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter

A man who worked at Gloucester’s Bon Marché in the 1960s is delighted the former Debenhams building is being retained as a university campus.

The University of Gloucestershire is looking to open the first two floors of the five storey King’s Square landmark to start teaching in the summer 2025.

Stuart Conlon, 74, from Longlevens, was among those who were given a tour of the building on Sunday, March 23.

He used to work at the cheese counter at Bon Marche in the 1960s.

Mr Conlon is delighted the building has been saved. “It was a Saturday job and I worked summer holidays, Christmas, and on sales events.

“You used to get transported around the country going to these various places. Sales was the big thing.

“You got transported around on coaches and buses to Bristol and Birmingham.

“You got paid twice the amount of money, but my god, that was chaos.”

He was 16 when he first started working there and said it “did the job”.

“It was pence really,” he said. “It sounds a bit harsh to say I don’t have fond memories.

“It did the job. It paid for your shoes and trousers, things like that.

“But on the cheese counter they were really nice people, nice to work with and looked after you.

“The Gloucester people used to come in to check what cheese you had in on the day.”

He said they sold a lot of Cheddar. “Gorgonzola was a rare one.

“The nicest cheese was Canadian Black Diamond.”

He is glad the building’s long term future has been secured.

“I’m delighted it has been retained. It would have been destroyed if it had been turned into flats. The real disaster would have been if they knocked it down.

“This is here now for a long time. As long as it’s looked after and the Russians don’t bomb us on the way to GCHQ.”

After Bon Marché Mr Conlon achieved his nursing and social work qualifications and worked across the country.

He said he and his wife would always go in the restaurant at the top for a coffee when it was Debenhams.

“It had a fantastic view. It was a nice place to be.”

The Bon Marché, which was founded in 1889 in Northgate Street by a Cornishman named John Rowe Pope was Gloucester’s leading retailer in days gone by.

Originally a drapery business, “The Bon” as it became known to all local people, grew into the city’s largest department store.

The Pope family maintained control of the business until 1971 when it was sold to Debenhams.

The University of Gloucestershire bought the site from Debenhams in 2021 with plans to create a city campus.

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk