One local retiree recalls her working life at Bentalls as if it were yesterday. Miranda Jessop meets her
She may be 98 years old but Sheila Linsley would prefer not to meet too early in the morning so she has enough time to get her ‘war-paint’ on. It’s clearly a case of old habits die hard as Sheila spent much of her working life in the cosmetic and perfumery departments of Bentalls in Kingston. Nowadays, Sheila resides at Coombe Hill Manor, the luxury Signature care home in Kingston. She is in good company: I am told that a popular TV star also lives here and, as I make my way up the grand staircase, I can’t help noticing that a familiar face from the Carry On films is being shown around while the friendly receptionist minds the actress’s doe-eyed bassett hound.
Sheila first joined Bentalls just before the war in 1938 where she worked in the gramophone and piano department. “Women didn’t really go out to work at this time and my father certainly didn’t approve of the fact that I had taken a job in a shop. I enjoyed it but only stayed a year as I was needed back at home to take care of my sister who was quite seriously ill.”
When war broke out, Sheila busied herself with the Fire Brigade and, after that, the American Red Cross. “My boyfriend was a spitfire pilot but he was killed and my heart was broken.”
In 1940, very much on the rebound, she married a man who was 13 years older than her. Sheila tells me that the relationship was a disaster from beginning to end during which time she had a son who, heartbreakingly, she ended up having to give away. After the war, Sheila married again and, in 1947, she decided to go back to Bentalls, accepting a position as the first ever make-up consultant for Max Factor.
“I loved my job. I would encourage customers to sit in the chair so I could apply their make-up and quite a crowd would gather to see what was going on.”
Sheila would often go to London for training sessions at the Max Factor salon in Bond Street. “War veterans would come in and we would show them how to cover their scars with make-up.”
Sheila left Bentalls to have her three children but, in 1956, when she heard that they were looking for married women to cover the staff lunch breaks between 12 pm and 3 pm, she jumped at the chance and returned to her position with Max Factor. “Bentalls was quite a social place; Mondays were always quiet as this was when most women did their washing, although the richer ladies would still come in and have lunch or tea with a friend.”
For employees, the highlight of the year was the annual family day; there were rides for the children as well as a special afternoon tea and staff from the different departments would put on a big musical show. Sheila also has happy memories of the Christmas procession of floats from Ham Common to Kingston which they would all take part in.
At this time, Frank Bentall’s grandson, Gerald Bentall was in charge. Sheila remembers him fondly.
“Everyone thought of him as an ogre but he actually had a heart of gold. There was an old boy who had spent his entire life working for Bentalls. He lived in a little cottage near Kingston market. His wife had died and his son had bought a smallholding that wasn’t doing very well and he needed a bit of money. There was an estate agency within Bentalls then and this old chap put his house on the market with a view to moving into digs.
When Gerald Bentall got wind of this, he summoned the man to his office and handed him a brown envelope full of money. ‘What’s this I hear about you giving up your house?’ he said. ‘You’ve worked all your life to pay for that cottage and you’re going to die there. Go back to where you belong and, if you have any other trouble, come and see me.’”
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
CMACDFOTO
Indeed, it was Gerald Bentall who took the decision to promote Sheila to the position of buyer for the perfumery departments of all five Bentalls stores (Kingston, Worthing, Ealing, Bracknell and Tunbridge Wells) with a starting salary of £1,000 in 1959. After she accepted the job, she remembers him putting his hand on her shoulder and saying, “All the directors think I am out of my mind giving you a chance; you go and prove to them that I was right.”
It was a position that Sheila positively relished, being regularly wined and dined by the various perfume houses in France. She also had the opportunity to mix with a myriad of celebrities including Mary Quant, Roger Moore and Cary Grant.
By this time, Sheila’s second marriage was over and, in 1961, she married the man she describes as the ‘real love’ of her life. It seems apt that she met him at Bentalls; Harold Linsley was the buyer for the sports and toy departments.
Despite living a glamorous and busy life, Sheila always maintained a close relationship with her staff and they would frequently write odes of appreciation to each other. Sheila shows me an extract of one that she penned to the team in 1973 when the perfume department at Kingston had just reached over a million pounds in sales.
However, the good times were not to last; by this time Gerald Bentall had retired and his younger brother Rowan had taken over. As part of a cost-cutting drive, Rowan reduced the staff commissions and, in 1974, Sheila was lured away to work for Coty with the offer of a handsome salary, a dress allowance and a company car.
“To me Bentalls wasn’t just a job; it was my family, my life. I was very sad to leave but really I was left with no choice.”
Years later, when Sheila attended the grand relaunch of Bentalls, Rowan Bentall called her over and told her that one of the worst decisions he had ever made in his life was letting her go and he should never have allowed it. “That made me feel a whole lot better.”
Sheila worked for Coty right up until her retirement in 1979 and Harold died five years later. Just in time for her 90th birthday, Sheila was reunited with the son she had given away all those years before and discovered she had three grandchildren she didn’t know about. She has been living in the Signature residential home since 2014 and, unable to leave her work completely behind, two years ago, Sheila came up with the idea of running a little shop of essential items for her fellow residents. ‘Sheila’s Shop’ is open for business for an hour and a half every Monday afternoon. And what are her top sellers? “Tissues, cotton wool and Tena pads,” she laughs.
Check out our Interviews Section for more great chinwags with lovely local people
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on our latest articles
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000
