House of Fraser: A history in Cardiff for now
House of Fraser: A history in Cardiff for now Department store House of Fraser will close its Cardiff store after it opened to the public more than 160 years ago. The Cardiff store has been in existence since 1869 when it opened and was one of the landmark shopping destinations in the city centre. It was originally known as Howells after James Howell. The closure is part of a a rescue deal which will see the closure of 31 of its 59 shops across the UK. 1860s A building, called Stuart Hall, was built as the premises for James Howell and Co Drapers in 1865. On 21 October that year, the business was launched. Mr Howell had previously been apprenticed to a draper in Fishguard, and other traders in both Newport, and London. The business was a success and in August 1867 Howell moved to larger premises at 13 St Mary Street, adding new departments for carpets, furnishings, millinery goods and funeral services over the years. 1870s The Howell empire cont...