# J F Rockhey

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Former department store in Devon

**J F Rockhey** was a department store located in [Torquay](/source/Torquay), [Devon](/source/Devon) with a further smaller branch in [Newton Abbot](/source/Newton_Abbot).

## History

John Fry Rockhey bought a small drapery business on Fleet Street, Torquay from a Mr Peter Thomas in 1881, and set about expanding the business with his partner Mr T S Bulleid. The store grew from the original one to four over the next few years and by 1901 the business was incorporated.[1] John Fry Rockhey was Mayor of Torquay 1896–97 and 1901–02 and was made a Freeman of the City.[2]

Upon the death of J F Rockhey in 1930, his business partner T M Bulleid took over as chairman of the board until his death in 1937, when J F Bulleid took over the reins.[3] He was behind a remodelling of the store which took place between 1939-40.[1] A further store was opened in Newton Abbot.

In 1948, [D H Evans](/source/D_H_Evans) purchased the business for £259,556 but continued to operate the business as a separate entity from the Oxford Street store.[4] In 1954, however, [Harrods](/source/Harrods) completed the purchase of the entire preference share capital of DH Evans (they had owned the entire ordinary share capital since 1928). [House of Fraser](/source/House_of_Fraser) purchased the Harrods group in 1959.

J F Rockhey was kept within the Harrods family until 1971, when House of Fraser agreed as part of the takeover of [Dingles](/source/Dingles_(department_store)) that all House of Fraser stores in the west country would transfer to the Dingles group.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hfa_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hfa_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-hfa_1-2) ["House of Fraser Archive : Company : J F Rockhey Ltd"](https://www.housefraserarchive.ac.uk/company/?id=c1705). Retrieved 25 November 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["BBC Your Paintings - J F Rockhey"](https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/j-f-rockhey-jp-mayor-of-torquay-18961897-19011902-freeman-of-the-borough-145775). Retrieved 25 November 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Bequests of Mr John F Rockhey"](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001420/19301212/226/0018). *Torquay Times*. 12 December 1930. p. 18. Retrieved 5 January 2023. – via britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk (subscription required)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Records of D H Evans - Archive Hub"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120202140141/http://archiveshub.ac.uk/features/06030101.html). Archived from [the original](http://archiveshub.ac.uk/features/06030101.html) on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2014.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [J F Rockhey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_F_Rockhey) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_F_Rockhey?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.