Tuesday 15 June 2021

Number 68

Please note that all dates are approximate.

If you have any further information, documents, photos or memories about this shop  let us know in the comments section at the bottom or on Annan The History Town Group Facebook page. 
If you click/tap on a photo it will enlarge that photo and give you the pictures as a slideshow.


The building containing numbers 66-68 is a category C Listed Building, Category C means it is of local importance.
The listing says 'Early 19th century, 2 storeys with modern shops at ground. 3 windows at first floor, the outer tripartite with small paned sashes'. 
This photo from 2021 shows those features.

© V. Russell

This site has had a busy history but the occupants at the end of the 19th century wrote many guides to Annan and sold maps and knick-knacks for tourists.


Receipt heading 1911


1902 D Watt, Books, maps, guides, stationer

1918 R B Percy, Stationer

1929 Singer Sewing Machines

1935 Annan Fruit Stores, Florist 

1962 The Garden Shop, Florist

1982 Capricorn, Ladies wear

1989 Caneworld, 

1991 Forget-me-Not, Florist

2000 Galloway Carpets

2005 Woodland Designs, Gifts, soft furnishings, pine furniture

2012 DATS Blinds

2013 Country Toys

2016 Dunnabie Farm Shop Butcher

Old Adverts.

1902 D Watt guide

1904 D Watt guide

1904 D Watt guide

1911 Annandale Observer

The shop must have been very busy with tourists and locals alike. D Watt also ran a kiosk at Powfoot.

1904 D Watt guide

The site was also used by visiting dentists but used the room above the shop accessed from Fairfield Place - rumour also has it that there was a billiard hall around here.

1902 D Watt guide

1904 D Watt guide

Around 1919 although David Watt's son James had taken over the business and still owned the premises Robert B Percy becomes the tenant and R B Percy is the business listed in trade directories.

1925 RoM

By 1929 R.B. Percy had moved along the street to number 72 and Singer Sewing Machines took over number 68 until about 1935. Valuation Rolls and Trade directories for 1935/6 give different occupants but when do they get their information updated? Even RoM magazine appears to have the wrong address after the move along the High Street.
By 1938 John Murdoch is using the site for Annan Fruit Stores and florist up until 1962 when it becomes The Garden Shop run by Ian Dobie and later by Betty Baird.

1952 RoM

1961 RoM

1962 RoM

In the 1980s the shop was known as Carpicorn and later Caneworld before returning to a florists shop Forget-me-Not in 1991. Caneworld resurfaced further along the High Street in later years.

1989 ©Valerie Phillips

1990 RoM

1991 RoM

1991 © Valerie Phillips
The year 2000 saw Galloway Carpets and Flooring enter the building as it tried different shop units around the town.

2000 RoM

In 2002 Woodland Designs have moved in but different evidence points to them being at number 66. However, this advert shows they were there for some time.

2008 RoM

DATs Blinds and Country Toys spent a short time here but by 2016 Dunnabie Farm Shop moved from their place within Kwiksave and became the first Butchers shop on the North side of the High Street for a very long time.

2016 RoM







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