Ilford's finest - the closure of Bodgers, a national treasure shuts up for the last time.

Ilford's finest - the closure of Bodgers, a national treasure shuts up for the last time.

The news came as a major shock to the system. In fact it came as a bolt out of the blue. It is with great regret that I have to tell you that one of our finest department stores is about to close, a national treasure shutting its doors for the last time. None of us saw it coming and when somebody told me last year that Bodgers of Ilford would be closing it felt as if a dear old friend was about to desert us and never again we would hear the sweet music of the cash registers ringing from this lovely, venerable emporium that only a couple of years ago celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Growing up in Ilford, Essex Bodgers had become the most fondly cherishable of all local department stores. There are probably hundreds of shops and big department outlets who seemed to have been around for as long as anybody can remember. These are the old fashioned, well established shopping goldmines who have always been there for the local community. Bodgers, for as long as I can recall, was that mighty commercial, high street Ilford powerhouse that always delivered on the civilities and niceties of customer relations and always guaranteed its shoppers the warmest welcome.

But now Bodgers is closing and some of us can barely hold back our sense of loss and sadness, our feelings of utter disbelief and regret, of all the pain and hurt that normally comes with the demise of somebody or something we came to love deeply. And yet the harsh realities of consumerism and the arrival of the swanky shopping mall always seemed likely to swallow up Bodgers sooner or later. With the additional advent of online shopping, poor Bodgers probably didn't stand a chance.

Many years ago Bodgers made a concerted attempt to move with the times but then recognised that they were fighting a losing battle. It couldn't be denied that the shop had become lost in a time warp, an ageing, haggard looking local shop, frayed at the edges, terribly outdated and antiquated but hopeful that a thorough make over and complete refurbishment would save the day. Briefly, it all looked hunky dory with all of those traditional fixtures and fittings getting the full modernisation treatment.

The cafe, for instance, which always looked very shabby and seedy at the best of times, was transformed overnight. A greasy spoon cafe now became a very attractively respectable cafe with a much cleaner and smarter look about it. Now the cafe sold Danish pastries, sandwiches that looked as though they'd been made with care and attention to detail, jacket potatoes that genuinely looked appetising and cakes that were mouth wateringly delicious. But sadly, this may have been beginning of the end. It almost seemed as though the final agony was being delayed and this noble old shop was simply living on borrowed time.

Bodgers, of course was always a pillar of respectability, a giant among the little stragglers and strugglers in the high street whose profit margins could never match Bodgers. From its late 19th century beginnings, through the bombs and horrific tragedies of the First and Second World War and up to the present day, Bodgers seemed to be both indestructible and impregnable. Put that in your pipe Mr Hitler and smoke it. You'll never ever break the unyielding spirit of Bodgers. Who do you think are kidding?

Then Bodgers enjoyed  years of post war pomp and peak prosperity. Suddenly the locals discovered that they had money in their pockets and Bodgers capitalised on brisk business. The old awnings that seemed to become the most easily identifiable feature of all shops after the War were now removed very swiftly.

As a young child I can still see the familiar and welcoming sweets and cigarette shop, a hive of activity with its constant ebb and flow of customers. Throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s and then the 21st century Bodgers thrived magnificently in the face of all competition and rivalry with its local counterparts. Deep within Bodgers there was an enchanting loyalty to its commendably faithful clientele. They came from all corners of Britain just to sample the refreshingly positive aura the store had now created.

On the whole of the first floor, there was Ilford's homage to its female buyers and shoppers. Wherever you looked there were perfume counters selling the latest line of Coco Chanel, pleasant fragrances of musk and demure girls tapping their wrists with even lovelier smelling perfumes. It was the most splendid celebration of femininity, designed for women who just wanted to beautify and prettify themselves.

Then at the back of the store on the first floor there was everything you could possibly want in furniture and carpets. I can still see very vividly hundreds of rolls of carpet, dining room chairs and tables that looked as though they hadn't been touched since 1954, cupboards and wardrobes that were both beautiful and solidly built examples of British craftsmanship and design. The only trouble was though that  everybody who worked in the said departments, although warmly helpful and understanding, seemed to have the same tape measure wrapped around the neck since their first day in employment.

For me those never ending rolls of carpet and rug seemed to dominate that ground floor. There were thick rolls of Axminster carpet standing perfectly upright like guards and then leaning to one side as if they'd had just a drop too much of alcohol. But this was the infinitely charming age of high street retail shopping and Bodgers simply exemplified its enduring appeal.

Upstairs on the first floor, which could be travelled to by one of those wonderful lifts with gates, there was a massive selection of household utensils and domestic appliances. This was a vision in crystal, sparkling crockery and cutlery, knives, forks and spoons in glittering dinner service sets, casserole dishes that whetted your appetites, bowls and dishes in translucent white, pressure cookers of every variety and finally right at the end of the first floor, a childish playground of toys and games.

What particularly took my eye was the little TV that showed the latest and funkiest of pressure cookers, knife sharpeners from K-Tel and demonstrations of gadgets that went ping when your meal had been cooked. Oh yes, there were of course the new fangled micro - wave ovens that had just entered the market, those cute electrical devices that made life so much easier in the kitchen. You smiled and giggled, chortling to yourself because you felt you'd witnessed something that was wonderfully practical and durable, lasting and economical, a delight to the eye.

Alas and most regrettably though, this is the end of the road for Bodgers. Several years ago another high street bastion of business Fairheads also closed its doors for the last time. Fairheads had been part of the Ilford landscape since the latter years of Queen Victoria's reign, the vast shelves and cabinets of lace, fabric and cotton  timeless reminders of days gone by. There were huge, silky sheets, curtains of the most delightful texture, exquisite furnishings with neat twists. twirls and flourishes. For this was Fairheads and its very essence, the raison d'etre for its existence.

But the party is now over for Bodgers. This month sees the closure of the most legendary of all department stores, this local shopping paradise, the place where my mum bought my first school uniform, where, from time to time, we would flick happily through its small but perfectly formed record department. For it was here that I purchased my last ever vinyl single, the Jacksons most danceable of compositions 'Blame it on the Boogie'. It was also here that I bought Queen's 'We Are The Champions for what seemed the princely sum of 50p. Quite the shrewdest of bargains and investments.

Now though the shutters are closing on Bodgers and, quite literally this is the end of an era. For those of a sentimental disposition this is something that should never have been allowed to happen. It has to be the worst decision ever made, a dreadful mistake, a figment of our imagination. How we'll miss that slope in Station Road in Ilford, the shop whose facade seemed to slant downwards and then wrap itself around the corner teasingly as if hiding away from view in the carpet department. Still for all of my friends and family in Ilford, it is time to wave farewell to Bodgers and brush away a simple tear from our eyes. Thanks for the memories Bodgers. A shop never to be forgotten.