John Goode has worked in Howells for 37 years. He started his career as assistant buyer and now runs the Gold Card suite
We had people on the lifts in those days, lift attendants. There was three restaurants one of which was called The Orchid Room. There was also a caf�. So you could imagine a number of wealthy people lived over the road in Westgate Street with housekeepers and they would come across for morning coffee and then change and come back for lunch, which was silver service. There was also another restaurant in the basement called the Argosy and that was self -service, as you went down to the basement it was like a ship as there was the wheel of HMS Cardiff and fish tanks with fish swimming in the portholes. All the kids thought it was great. This started its life in the 1920's as the soda fountain where they would sell Sarsaparilla and ice-cream.
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