REMEMBER this view of Warrington town centre.

It shows Sankey Street near to the junction of Bold Street back in the 1970s.

Janice Hayes, Warrington historian, used it in her book Warrington's Photographers.

She said: "By 1970 it was clear that Warrington town centre would soon undergo drastic change.

"Harold Critchley, a student at Warrington School of Art, was given the task of documenting life in Warrington at this critical moment.

"This image of Sankey Street, near to the junction of Bold Street, has human interest on the left balanced with a view of the buildings on the right which would disappear with the redevelopment of the Old Market area.

"The once familiar façade of Marks & Spencer would soon disappear but the single-storey entrance had survived much longer than expected when this shop was built in the 1930s.

"The council had intended to widen Sankey Street shortly afterwards to cope with the expected growth of through traffic on this main route between Liverpool and Manchester.

"A much grander frontage was hidden further back at the expected width of the street but the widening scheme was abandoned in favour of a ring road and a pedestrianised shopping area."

Marks and Spencer in Warrington town centre closed four years ago.

It first opened as a stall in the old Warrington Market.

An d was successful enough to move into a small shop, which may have been in Bridge Street, before moving into the store many people will remember on Sankey Street.

Janice said: “Marks and Spencer arrived in Sankey Street in the 1930s in anticipation of the imminent plans to widen the street and redevelop the Market Place. 

“It was designed with a temporary single storey frontage which soon became a permanent feature.

“Eventually pedestrianisation replaced road widening schemes and in 1977 a new Marks and Spencer’s store opened in the first phase of Golden Square.

“In 1978 the original store on Sankey Street and its neighbours were demolished.”

Marks and Spencer was founded in 1884 by a Polish refugee, Michael Marks, who opened the chain’s first market stall in Leeds.