Address: 1 King’s Square, York, YO1 8BH
Description
A ghost sign on King’s Square used to display the name “Cussins and Light” with the phrase “Electric Home Makers” painted in white.
History
The origins of Cussins and Light trace back to 1921 when two young men, Reggie Cussins and Pat Light, formed a business partnership that lasted over fifty years.
1930s Source: Cussins and Light
Initially, they started selling motorbikes, and then added “wireless” to their inventory.
As demand for “wireless” grew, they transitioned into full-fledged electrical retailers, eventually adding electrical appliances to their product line.
1960s – The King’s Square premises Source: Cussins and Light
In the 1960s, Reggie and Pat passed the business on to the next generation, with Denys (Reggie’s son) and Ron Thompson (Pat’s son-in-law) taking over management.
By the mid-1980s, with both of them nearing retirement, they decided to hand control over to the third generation—Paul (Denys’ son) and David (Ron’s son).
To achieve this, they converted Cussins and Light into a property company and then divided it, with one half going to Paul and the other half to David.
This transformation was completed in the 1990s, and since then, the two companies have operated independently.
1985 Source: York Press
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