Pontings
Pontings was a Kensington department store that traded from the nineteenth century until its closure in 1970.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Pontings was a London department store based on Kensington High Street and associated with the development of Kensington as a major retail district. Its history began with the Ponting family's involvement in the drapery trade. Thomas Ponting, one of four brothers from Gloucestershire, established a small drapery business in Archer Street near Westbourne Grove and had moved the operation to 123 Westbourne Grove by 1868. His younger brothers William Ponting, John Jones Ponting, and Sydney Ponting later established Ponting Brothers, initially a millinery business, at 125 Kensington High Street around 1873. This Kensington enterprise developed separately from Thomas's Westbourne Grove shop. The Kensington business expanded gradually, taking additional premises at 127 Kensington High Street in 1876 and at 123 Kensington High Street in 1890. Its assortment broadened beyond millinery and drapery to include fancy goods, silks, and other merchandise associated with a department-store format. In 1893 the company acquired Scarsdale House, a former mansion connected with the Curzon family, allowing further expansion of its premises and supporting functions. Pontings was incorporated in 1898. William Ponting was initially the largest shareholder, followed by his brother John, but William died soon afterward and the business ceased to be directed primarily by the founding family. Henry Charles Richards, a Member of Parliament, became chairman. Between 1899 and 1901 the original premises on Kensington High Street were replaced with a substantial new building designed by Arthur Sykes. The development included a basement and four upper floors, while Scarsdale House was retained at that stage. Office and storage blocks were later constructed in its gardens. The company expanded further during the reconstruction of Kensington Railway Station between 1906 and 1908. Pontings acquired the western side of the new arcade and accumulated other Kensington properties, some of which generated rental income. However, the combination of property purchases, expansion, and construction commitments placed excessive strain on the business. Pontings entered liquidation in December 1906, and John Barker & Co., another Kensington department store, acquired the business for £84,000 in April 1907. Under Barkers' ownership, Pontings continued to operate with its own buying organization and a distinctive retail identity, using the slogan or positioning phrase "The House of Value." The store's expansion around the railway arcade was completed in 1908, and later building work extended the premises toward Wright's Lane. After the First World War, Barkers acquired neighboring retail interests, including Derry & Toms in 1920, and obtained the freehold of the Pontings site. The store was refurbished in 1923 and gained access to catering facilities operated by Barkers' Zeeta subsidiary. House of Fraser acquired Barkers in 1957. During the 1960s, the new owner rationalized the interconnected Kensington department-store businesses. Several related operations and buildings were closed, and Pontings itself ceased trading in 1970. The name survived briefly in a different form: unsold merchandise from the closing sale was moved to a lower-ground-floor area of Barkers, which was operated as the Pontings Bargain Basement until the name was changed in 1974. After the store closed, the principal Pontings building was replaced through redevelopment. The site later became associated with Kensington Super Store before the original structure was demolished. Pemberton House was built on Kensington High Street in 1976–1978, followed by Kensley House on Wright's Lane in 1982–1984 and William Cobbett House at the rear. A section of the former arcade remained and was used by later retailers, including La Senza and Accessorize in 2011. Pontings therefore survives primarily as a historical retail name and as a remnant of Kensington's department-store architecture rather than as an operating brand.
History
Pontings grew out of the Ponting family's nineteenth-century involvement in London's drapery trade. Thomas Ponting established a Westbourne Grove business, while William, John Jones, and Sydney Ponting created a separate Kensington enterprise around 1873. Originally operating as a milliner, Ponting Brothers expanded into drapery, silks, fancy goods, and broader department-store retailing. The business acquired adjoining premises on Kensington High Street and bought Scarsdale House in 1893. The company was incorporated in 1898. William Ponting was its leading shareholder, but his death soon afterward marked the end of direct family control. Henry Charles Richards became chairman. A major rebuilding project between 1899 and 1901 produced a large Arthur Sykes-designed store, supplemented by offices and depositories in the grounds of Scarsdale House. Pontings' participation in the redevelopment surrounding Kensington Railway Station increased both its prominence and its financial exposure. The company acquired the western side of the station arcade and other local properties, but the scale of its expansion contributed to liquidation in December 1906. John Barker & Co. bought the business in April 1907 for £84,000. Barkers maintained Pontings as a separately presented department store, with its own buying team and the value-oriented identity "The House of Value." Further construction and refurbishment followed under Barkers. The arcade-side expansion was completed in 1908, while the Wright's Lane extension was completed in 1911–1912. Barkers later acquired neighboring retail interests and the Pontings freehold, refurbished the store in 1923, and added a cafe operated by its Zeeta catering subsidiary. House of Fraser acquired Barkers in 1957. Its subsequent rationalization of the Kensington businesses led to the closure of Pontings in 1970. The name was retained temporarily for a Pontings Bargain Basement inside Barkers, but that designation disappeared in 1974. The original store was later demolished and replaced by office and residential development. Only part of the former arcade remained as a physical reminder of the store.
- 1974
Pontings Bargain Basement name is retired
[1]The Pontings name, retained for a bargain-basement section inside Barkers after the store closure, was replaced.
- 1970
Pontings closes
[1]House of Fraser closed Pontings during the rationalization of its Kensington department-store operations.
- 1957
House of Fraser acquires John Barker & Co.
[1]Pontings became part of the House of Fraser group through its acquisition of Barkers.
- 1923
Store refurbishment
[1]Barkers refurbished Pontings and added a cafe operated by its Zeeta catering subsidiary.
- 1907
John Barker & Co. purchases Pontings
[1]Barkers acquired the department store and continued operating it under the Pontings name.
- 1906
Pontings enters liquidation
[1]The company entered liquidation after its expansion and construction program overextended the business.
- 1901
New Kensington High Street building is completed
[1]A replacement department-store building designed by Arthur Sykes was completed in two stages.
- 1898
Pontings is incorporated
[1]The business became an incorporated company, shortly before William Ponting's death and the transition away from direct family management.
- 1893
Scarsdale House is acquired
[1]Pontings expanded its Kensington premises by acquiring the adjacent Scarsdale House.
- 1873
Ponting Brothers opens on Kensington High Street
[1]William, John Jones, and Sydney Ponting opened a millinery business at 125 Kensington High Street.
Products and positioning
A broad-assortment Kensington department store that developed from millinery and drapery into a value-oriented general retailer. Under John Barker & Co., it retained a distinct identity and presented itself as the "House of Value."
Apparel accessories · 1873
Millinery
Millinery was the original focus of the Kensington Ponting Brothers business opened around 1873. The category provided the foundation for the later expansion into a broader department-store assortment.
Textiles and apparel
Drapery and textiles
Drapery formed part of the Ponting family's earlier retail experience and remained associated with the Kensington business as it expanded. The store also became known for selling silks and other textile-related merchandise.
General merchandise
Fancy goods and silks
Pontings broadened its offer beyond millinery and drapery to include fancy goods and silks. These categories reflected the store's evolution toward a multi-department retail format serving Kensington shoppers.
Department-store retail
Department-store merchandise
By the early twentieth century, Pontings operated as a general department store with a wide assortment rather than as a specialist milliner or draper. Under Barkers, it retained its own buying team and a value-oriented identity.
Discount retail · 1970
Pontings Bargain Basement
After the main store closed in 1970, unsold closing-sale stock was transferred to Barkers' lower ground floor and sold under the Pontings Bargain Basement name. The designation was discontinued in 1974.
Brand decisions
1970
Closure during Kensington retail rationalizationStrategyBackground
House of Fraser acquired Barkers in 1957 and later reviewed the overlapping department-store operations in Kensington.
Action taken
House of Fraser closed Pontings as part of a wider rationalization program.
Aftermath
The Pontings name survived temporarily as a bargain-basement department within Barkers before being retired in 1974.
1907
Sale of Pontings to John Barker & Co.M&ABackground
Pontings had entered liquidation after becoming overextended through expansion, property purchases, and construction activity.
Action taken
John Barker & Co. purchased the business and continued trading under the Pontings name.
Aftermath
Pontings remained a distinct Kensington department store within the Barkers group, with its own buying organization and retail identity.
Purchase price. £84,000 (April 1907)
Recent events
- 1970
Pontings closes as part of House of Fraser rationalization[1]
Other
Following House of Fraser's acquisition of Barkers, the group rationalized its Kensington department-store operations and closed Pontings.
- 1907
John Barker & Co. acquires Pontings[1]
M&A
John Barker & Co., a neighboring Kensington department store, purchased Pontings after its liquidation and continued operating it as a distinct retail business.
- 1906
Pontings enters liquidation[1]
Bankruptcy
Pontings entered liquidation after expansion, property acquisition, and construction commitments placed excessive financial pressure on the business.
Sources1 sources
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