Littlewoods Dancing Girls; Liverpool in the 1950's

Liverpool in the 50s

Britain in the 1950's was a different place than it is today. Liverpool was still reeling from the effects of the war and the loss of its pride; the first overhead railway.
This was a time long before computers, and modern lifestyle as we know it.

Littlewoods was a name that many generations of Brits are familiar with. The younger generation will recall the department stores, and remember that it was once a major shopping catalog company, while those who were around in the 1950s will remember Littlewoods a little differently. It was originally a football gambling pool that had expanded to the legitimate world of department stores, and entertainment.

The country saw the last of Littlewoods in 2005 when over 100 of the remaining stores were closed due to the emergence of the internet. The gambling aspect of the company died long ago.
The social world of men and women in 1950s is reflected by the Littlewoods of yesteryear.


Littlewoods is a big company in Britain that may resemble something like SEARS in America. There were literally hundreds of them all over the U.K. in the 50’s. But besides being a chain of stores, it also was something like a lottery where locals would bet on the football (soccer) games. This aspect of Littlewoods was affectionately referred to as “the Pools.” It was that simple. You could have Just said you work in the "Pools" to anyone in Britain and they would know what you were referring to.



Just about every employed woman in the United Kingdom worked for Littlewoods, or had worked for Littlewoods at some time. It was simply a staple in the everyday lives of Brits for over 30 years.

With the complex task of checking the “lottery tickets” literally thousands of women were employed at the numerous offices throughout Britain. Each major town or city had approximately three large Littlewoods buildings, containing hundreds of employees.


It is difficult to related to these days, but there were absolutely no computers in use, and the women checked tickets manually, and it was a very slow process, as the tickets were not just single bets of this team or that, but rather 6-10 different and complex bets on a single ticket alone.
The women who did the clerical work had the opportunity to participate in the Littlwoods dance team. This meant that if they made the team, and there were shows to do, they did not have to check any tickets, or do any boring clerical work. Instead, they were dressing up in exotic costumes and performing dance routines, often recreations of recent musicals that were being released. Some of these women who were particularly talented, were invited to do minor tours, and shows across Britain, and participate in television commercials promoting Littlewoods products.
My mother was a Littlewoods dancer and I believe these were the very best times of her life.