James Colmer was a small group of English department stores based in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

with its flagship store located on Union Street,

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

History

James Butler Colmer was born in Devon in c.1831 and went on to learn the drapery trade in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

before establishing his own business in Bath. He married Frances Charlotte Jarvis in 1853 and they had five children. Frances died in 1862. James went on to marry Lydia Gumbleton, his neighbour, the following year and together they had a further seven children. They moved from

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

to the west country where James took over a struggling drapery and furnishing business based on Union Street in Bath. James Colmer, established in 1870, became a successful business. The initial trade of drapery and furnishings was soon expanded into additional premises for the sale of fancy goods, turnery and toys. Colmer's store became one of the most significant in Bath alongside the leading competitors of

Jolly & Son Jolly & Son was a small department store chain based in Kent and the West Country. Jolly's historic flagship store in Bath has been part of the House of Fraser group since 1971. Early history James Jolly set up a linen drapery store in Deal, Ken ...

and Evans & Owen. James Butler Colmer died in 1897. His son James Henry Colmer took over the business, becoming managing director. In 1914 a new shop front was added which united the Union Street premises for the first time. In 1920 James Henry Colmer became Mayor of Bath. The store was completely refurbished and further extended during the 1930s. During the Second World War the store received only shrapnel damage. After the war the business grew with the purchase of existing department stores in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, Weston-Super-Mare (formerly B T Butter),

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

(formerly Clements & Brown) and

West Penwith West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

(formerly Morgans) while the Bath store was extended again with the addition of two new selling floors. In 1954, the business leased land at Bath Recreation Ground to build a pavilion for use as a tennis club. In 1973 the business was purchased by the

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

-based Owen Owen department store group. The James Colmer name was replaced with that of the parent company. The Union Street building was listed at Grade II in 1975.

References

Colmer James Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom Retail companies established in 1870 1870 establishments in England {{UK-retail-company-stub