50 Golden Years of Guest and Philips

Beverley was a very different place fifty years ago when Michael Guest and his wife Anne established Guest and Philips or Michael Philips as it was then called.

In 1966, Beverley was a comparatively small rural town with a livestock market every Wednesday (the cattle market was where Tesco is now located) which brought the farmers and their wives into town, making it a busy day for the shops.

Most of the shops were privately owned in those days. Thursday was half day closing, which meant Beverley was almost deserted on Thursday afternoons. The internet wasn’t invented until 1969 so life was very different!

Michael Philips was opened in one half of the building on Saturday Market which had been The White Swan public house. Michael worked for a chain of jewellers before opening his own business, on August 1st 1966, a move which wasn’t popular with his then boss!

ut people liked the couple and the business thrived. In 1975, Anne opened a gift shop called ‘Design’ next-door-but-one in a property which had been occupied by Tiplady’s Port Butchers.

A few years later, the Guests were able to acquire the dry cleaners which separated them, enabling the three properties to be incorporated into one store. In the year 2000, the kebab shop at 25 Saturday Market became vacant, allowing for further expansion.

Visitors to the shop can still see that it is made up of four different properties knocked through allowing for separate departments for watches, gifts, jewellery and repairs. The business is now run by Michael and Anne’s children, Philip and Karen.

Karen told Just Beverley: “Because we are located in such an old building, we have had a couple of incidents with ghosts. Prior to the White Swan being built, the site was occupied by the Bishop’s Palace of a Franciscan Friary and we clearly upset something when we knocked through. Mike from the Watch Department, who is probably the most level-headed of all of the staff came down from upstairs one day and said ‘I’ve just been passed by a monk - full cassock, everything’, and then just carried on with what he was doing! It’s the ghost of a stable lad, wearing a white shirt and waist-coat with shirt-sleeve holders around his arms. Although there was no stabling at The White Swan, there was at The White Horse, The Green Dragon and the Dog and Duck. The ghost seems to be looking out for someone.”

Guest and Philips has expanded over recent decades. They now have a presence in Pocklington and Cottingham as well as opening their new boutique store at Flemingate. They have welcomed clients from all walks of like into their stores, as well as some famous people.

Karen said: “One day a big, black, chauffeur-driven Mercedes pulled up outside. The chauffeur opened the rear door of the car and out stepped Jeffery Archer! He wandered into the shop and had his watch-battery changed, just like a normal customer!”

Styles of jewellery have changed immensely over the years. Gate bracelets and Cameo brooches have been replaced by branded names such as Links of London or Georg Jensen although antique and period jewellery is extremely popular.

The Market Place store is a virtual Aladdin’s cave of stunning period and classic pieces in gold and silver with diamonds and pearls.

aren is a diamond and antiques specialist so there is always something special if more modern designs are not to your taste!

The watch department now has a Cartier ‘shop in shop’ soon to be followed by Omega and Gucci refits. The brand portfolio also includes Hamilton, Seiko , Longines, Daniel Wellington and Boss. Flemingate has a Swatch shop, too!

There are celebratory events planned for the 50th anniversary of this much-loved local store and the people behind it, who are so much part of the fabric of Beverley. Michael, Philip and Karen have all been presidents of the Beverley and District Chamber of Trade, Michael is an MBE for services to the community in Beverley and has recently been awarded Honorary Freemanship of Beverley.

As for the future, Just Beverley wishes the Guest family all the very best for the continued success of this wonderful business.

Guest and Philips Jewellers can be found on 23-25 Saturday Market and 23a Flemingate Centre.