When you say the name Wildings, it may seem quite a strange choice for a high end department store, but a high end department store it was, and the reason behind the name was with its founder and namesake, Alfred Wilding who originally set up the store after moving to Newport as a hatter when he was 21 years old.

With many decades of successful trading in Newport when it was a thriving, bustling, successful destination and one of the great gateway towns into South Wales, in 2019 the store was to finally close its doors after 144 years.

With changing times in both shopping trends and the retail upheaval that has affected many similar established businesses in recent times, it came as no surprise that a business on this scale would struggle to survive without a constant and effective shopping presence regularly visiting the centre of Newport.

Some words from Wildings Managing Director Peter James in 2018. (excerpts below from South Wales Argus interview with Tomos Povey.)

"Wildings has a rich and long history, and for most of that history it was a very successful Newport business which was run by local people.

"Times have changed, and the proud city of Newport is no longer the grand trading centre it used to be," he said.

"During the last 145 years we have had many good times, and times when the economy faltered, and the environment was tough. In the early to mid-1970s we had 14 shops under the Wildings brand. We nearly went under in the bitter recession of the early 1980s but survived and eventually started to thrive again.

What I have captured here is a small reminder that is still present today. It’s an awesome piece of signage that probably welcomed delivery drivers since the 1980’s or 90’s judging by it’s style. I love its age and patina which for me visually represents the tough times and ending that the store went through.

This is a nice visual urban piece which appeals to me as a photography subject, with the vibrant, but distressed teal painted doors present in the photos providing a nice juxtaposition between the industrial brick walls and the small hint outlined by the signage that there was a vibrant and successful business that thrived here for many years.

I captured a quick succession of photos on my Canon 5D MKii paired with a Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens which led to an enjoyable 15 minute project that has spurred me into capturing and documenting more subjects like this going forward.

All photographs captured on Friday 6th August 2021 at the old Wildings store in Newport on a Canon 5D MKII with Tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens © Hall Photographic 2021 - All Rights Reserved.