I rarely go into the city centre mainly due to my level of fitness, so am not up to date with prices at the shops which are closing. I can't help wondering whether the prices in Carlisle are the same as in the south of England, i.e. where earnings are likely to be higher? Could this be a factor in the low profitability of the shops?

Tony, ever visited the planet earth? Where have you been for the last year or so "no cuts to public spending" - my 5 year old could tell you this - just pick up a paper or read the news. Dear me.

I guess asking £8.00 for a watch battery - unfitted - doesn't help.

It's the way it is. This Government has to put the Country back on track and this situation was easily predictable. The previous Government put their heads in the sand and were self-seving. The pension pot was never going to be sustainable, and we have to be frugal now. People are not spending at the rate they were. If shops can't compete, they will close. Businesses have to get savvy or they will fail. The shops (Management) which are failing have not changed or adapted, but sat there (whining) and waited for the obvious to happen. Wake up UK...

Sad to see this fine shop go. I once bought a rather expensive jewelbox there, then later went to former jewelry shop of Lockharts in Bank Street..... I always believed they set a good standard on the high street which will soon be lost, without such a reputable quality dealer, in selling gold etc. The English Street had as a national chain of timekeepers of a red falling ball on the outer wall in those days. Alike I believe others, on their other branches in towns and city's. It was I believe a strict method of keeping a check on the correct time before folk found it easier to be more precise by phone 8081 for the GPO telephone service's speaking clock. Our parents seemed to be always telling us not to keep ringing the number for added costs to their phone bills. Last time I seen this method of timekeeping was in Leeds. The apparatus was removed from Carlisle's English street building many decades ago but for the dark shadow it left remaining of where it once was on the wall. Some might add poking fun at this but the times when the apparatus was on the building was very much different. We lived in more totally innocent times compared to a member of parliament recently commenting that it is now more of an age of sex without love when many a betrothed girl got a ring first before ta other. That's now supposedly old fashioned in some quarters, as I was told by one young woman who said she was prepared to stay old fashioned against the trend of her many friends. Adding lads today have little respect.

Sam, i cant account for your lack of knowledge. There are no cuts in public spending. I have showed you the figures. It is all a fantasy. The last Government proposed even more absurd increases in public spending based on 3% growth figures every year since 2010. What the coalition did was hack back heavily the proposed built in spending.

All my figures come from the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses on the HMRC website.

town center shopping is at a all time low ,dont think it will ever recover with the way things are ie double dip recession,unemployment out of town shopping and the internet shopping to name but a few our town centres up and down the country will be a thing of the past in 20 yrs time !

@ Tony are you joking? Did you really say that the government have increased public spending? The news chanels I have been watching for the last year and a half must have got it wrong then. I was under the impression that since they came in to office their plan of action is to cut cut cut. Worse still, the full impact of these cuts haven't actually taken the full effect yet and worse is to come.

@ Nick

Argos quality is not up to the standard of goods Goldsmiths stocked. I will be taking my business to the Penrith branch in future.

I'm really sorry to see that Goldsmiths has closed it's doors. Surely Carlisle is big enough to have sustained such a high end jeweller. If David Jackson is not worried then he needs to take a reality check! It's very easy to get to the Metro or Newcastle, to get the choice they need. M & S has already reduced the range available in the Carlisle store. David Jackson needs to keep up to date with what's happening in his city.