IT was where generations of shoppers could buy anything from hardware to crockery, sports equipment to a very comfortable sofa.
But Jackson’s Duke Street Store was always more than just a place to find a bargain – it was part of Reading itself.
For decades Jackson’s Corner was also a meeting place for locals and a reference point for lost visitors to the town.
When the Duke Street store was demolished and replaced with a modern building, there were only distant memories left for people in Reading who perhaps worked there or certainly shopped there.
But now, the iconic building has been recreated in a beautifully crafted and detailed model complete with furnishings and other items.
The model has taken six months to build and will require a few more before it is ready to be collected by an unnamed buyer.
The man who has brought a legendary piece of Reading back to life is Richard Ellis from Tunbridge Wells in Kent.
Richard, 58, admits he has only been to the town “a few times” when his daughter attended the university. However, the skill and precision with which he has created Jackson’s would have you think it is where he was born and bred.
“I regularly receive orders from people who ask me to build a model, usually of their house or a place which has been very special to them,” he said.
“This is the third Jackson’s building in Reading I have been asked to make by the same client. The other two were Jackson’s Corner and a shoe shop. All three are very beautiful buildings and it has been a joy for me to work on them.
“I expect to finish it soon but it is not a job that can be rushed. I want to make it as like the original as possible and that includes items in the windows which were once on sale in the real shop.”
The model is 67cms tall, 80 cms wide and 53cms in depth. Richard used a special laser cutting to build the model, using MDF and plywood. He copied the frontage including the stonework and windows from old photographs.
The previous two models have been on display at Reading Museum and he hopes the third will also be available for the public to view.
“I do a lot of railway buildings and dioramas which like buildings can be painstaking but it gives me great joy to know I am creating something which has a special meaning to the client who has ordered it,” he added.
*Did you work at Jackson’s? Is that where you met your partner? Let us know your memories of this iconic store.
For more info on Richard and his models, go to: www.monksgate.co.uk
