A HAMPSHIRE furniture store has celebrated its 175th anniversary.

Bradbeers, which has stores in Hedge End , New Milton and Romsey , was started in 1837 by Mr R S Smith, who opened a small drapery shop in Bernard Street, Southampton .

In 1905, the company relocated to a prime site in Above Bar, and in 1935 the store was expanded again when the next door site was taken over.

Tragedy struck in the Second World War, when the store was demolished by a Nazi bomb on November 23, 1940, but two weeks later the firm was trading again in Shirley and New Milton.

With its Hedge End store in Bradbeers Retail Park, the company now has the largest independent furniture shop on the south coast.

Staff and customers celebrated the company’s milestone with a performance from a traditional jazz band, along with canapés and refreshments.

The store is also holding a sale to mark its anniversary.