Timeline of Tooting High Street

1908: HARRINGTON’S PIE & MASH OPENS

Harrington’s Pie & Mash first opens its doors. The Harrington family are still serving their famous pie, mash, and liquor to queuing punters to this day.

1916: WOOLWORTHS OPENS

Woolworths opened their 64th store in Tooting, opposite the Broadway.

1926: MIND THE GAP

The arrival of the underground transforms Tooting from a village into a London suburb.

1930: TOOTING MARKET OPENS

Tooting Market opens.

1931: THE GRANADA OPENS

The Granada cinema opens.

1932: THE MAYFAIR OPENS

The Mayfair cinema opens and is renamed the ABC in 1933.

1936: LA REINE FOUNDED

The La Reine manufacturing company is established. They specialised in all types of hairdressing equipment including barber, hairdressing, optical, and dental chairs.

1936: TOOTING BROADWAY MARKET OPENS

Tooting Broadway market opens.

1939 – 1945 WORLD WAR II

1946 – JA TAYLOR OPENS

JA Taylor Bakers opens. Many years later people will recognise it as one of the 800 sites belonging to Greggs.

1950s – GIGS AT THE GRANADA

The Granada Cinema moves with the times and starts hosting music gigs, headlining acts such as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Little Richard, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Jimi Hendrix, The Supremes, and The Rolling Stones.

1952: TRAMS CEASE

Trams cease operating in Tooting.

1955: MORLEYS OPENS

Morleys Stores take over Smith Bros in 1955. Over 60 years later, Morleys prides itself as Tooting’s largest Home Store.

1960: TABORNS OPENS

The Taborn family has four shops selling a variety of different goods in Tooting, with a flagship store at 66-68 Tooting High Street.

1960: CHELSEA GIRL OPENS

Chelsea Girl opens.

1968: MARKS & SPENCER OPENS

Marks & Spencer opens in Tooting – or M&S as we know it today.

1970s: DAVIES OPENS

Davies the pram shop opens.

1973: GRANADA CLOSES

Granada Cinema closes due to declining audiences.

1973: SREE KRISHNA OPENS

Sree Krishna opened in 1973 and was the first South Indian restaurant to open in Tooting. The business permanently closed in 2020.

1976: ST. GEORGE’S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

St. George’s, University of London (medical school) moved to Tooting.

1976: GRANADA REOPENS

Granada reopens as Granada Bingo Club.

1979: MAYFAIR CLOSES

The ABC (Mayfair) Cinema closes.

1980: ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL OPENS

St. George’s Hospital opened its doors in Tooting.

1980: SHERRY’S MENSWEAR OPENS

Sherrys Menswear opens.

1980: SAMRAT OPENS

Samrat opens. The family-run restaurant now claims to be the longest-established curry house in Tooting.

1987: THE GREAT STORM

On the 15/16 October, there was a hurricane that hit the UK. It caused much damage to buildings, vehicles, and felled trees all over Tooting.

1996: MAYFAIR CONVERSION

The circle foyer of the Mayfair (ABC) Cinema was converted into a Muslim cultural centre. Upper parts of the building converted into a Islamic school.

2008: M&S CLOSES

M&S closes in Tooting with a plan to open a superstore in Colliers Wood.

2011: PRIMARK OPENS

Primark opens in Tooting on the site of the old M&S.

2012: SAM’S 99P OPENS

Sam’s 99p shop opens on the site that used to house the Gordon Bennett public house. It had been converted into a retail space after suffering bomb damage in the war. It was originally the Broadway Palace Theatre.

2015: CARRIER BAG CHARGE INTRODUCED

The 5p single use carrier bag charge is introduced in shops to try to combat the impact they are having on the environment. The government encourage retailers to donate the proceeds to charitable causes.

2017: SAVERS AND ICELAND OPEN

Savers and Iceland open on the redeveloped site that used to house The Astoria Cinema (formerly the Tooting Electric Pavilion).

2021: B&Q OPENS

B&Q opens on what used to be the site of: