About Greatmills

Formerly a British Leyland showroom called Lex Kingswinford, Greatmills was opened with a fanfare by Rolf in 1982/3.
In DIY terms never set the world on fire, but nevertheless became a staple for locals on weekends and bank holidays.
A spartan interior was augmented with an even more spartan garden section which stood no chance against
the omnipresent Ashwood Nurseries monopoly. Best sellers: GroBags and those flowery-mortified concrete garden wall bricks.

Stocked with obscurely branded (Manders; Leyland) paints in rank shades, ineffective own brand tools, terrible '70s style
louvered doors and loft insulation, the end was always nigh. Always worth a visit on a bored school holiday weekday, however, if only to spot the breasts on the Mira Showers' point-of-sale promotions, or to further sap the morale of the brow-beaten staff by continually trying out all the doorbells (especially the one with the Dukes Of Hazard 'General Lee' ring)
Succumbed, of course, to the mighty draw of Merry Hill and finally cleared its decks in early 2001.

Will not be missed!

Highlights

• The gap in the fence around the back allowing a short cut to Blanford Mere
• Great views of the Dudley Innovation Centre
• Classic piped '80s musak. Usually Spandau or Dollar

Not to be confused with: Bennett's The Ironmongers; Modeller's Mecca; that place over Charterfields that became Dreamworld.