Hedges remain

These are the premises described below, between 159 Hatfield Road and Harlesden Road corner, bounded by the red line.
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH

The previous post, Squeezing One More In, demonstrated that the need to add more accommodation to the Fleetville streetscape is not a new concept and began early on.  The first properties to call on this time are 159 and 161 Hatfield Road.  As with so many addresses this building was a semi-detached pair, built by George Emerton, who also put up the Oak Villas (numbers 139 and 141) among other homes.  Both of the original tenants realised, as had others along the road, that there was commercial advantage in gaining permission to convert their homes into shops with flats above; Mr Bennett sold provisions, and Mr Guy was a milliner. They were both the first occupiers.  Below are two photos of this pair of former homes, the first taken in 2012, while the other is very recent.  Notice the difference?  In the back garden space accessed from the driveway between 157 and 159, a new house has been added – yet one more squeezed in!  Two long-term trades and tenants may be recalled by older residents.  Mr North managed a wet fish shop, while from the same shop space Mrs North sold fruit and veg. There were occasions in the 1950s when your author recalls walking home with one of the North  children, being invited to the flat above and being offered an item of fruit on the way. Even today number 159 is divided.  Next door was a chemist, run first by Mr Pike and then Mr Kine; today it is a charity shop.

This 2012 photo of 159 and 161, then Cartridge World and Oxfam, with the driveway between them 
and SK Carpets.  Compare it with the picture below, a 2019 closeup of the driveway with a
newly built house at the far end.

Moving on, below is an example of a pair of homes which remain residential addresses, even retaining their individual tiny front gardens.  Together with the shop numbered 167, all were owned by Frank Sear.  Mr Sear ran a dairy shop.  Built into the premises was a covered driveway to give rear access between the cottages and the shop.  The photograph below shows this drive with a wide door at the street end.  Today it has been converted into a narrow shop; a Thai Takeaway.  Even Mr Sear's former shop has a narrower frontage today to give independent access to a first floor flat.

A photo taken c1924 with three homes retaining their front gardens, and three shops; on the left was Henry Sear's dairy shop; centre right was Miss Moore's Dining Rooms, later to become Leslie
Townsend radio and bicycle shop; and extreme right is the corner boot and shoe shop.

In 2012 the centre shop is the former Henry Sear shop; the narrow shop to its left was the gated driveway to the rear.

The next property, number 169, was a side-by-side pebble-dashed detached building, having residential rooms on the left and shop on the right; the shop beginning life as a butchery run by Walter Aldridge.  However, for a few years prior to World War One, Miss Moore ran a cafe ("Dining Rooms"), and one of the two ladies standing at the shop doorway was undoubtedly Miss Moore, whose name hung on a horizontal boom flagpole, no doubt to attract attention.  From the 1920s and for the next 70 years or so it was known as Townsend's.  Useful for the early days of radio (and later television), Mr Warner and then Mr Leslie Townsend, sold components, and batteries, undertook repairs, charge up accumulators, and then widened the trade to include bicycles.  From an "alladin's cave" of a store room at the back many customers will have recalled absence from the shop for what was thought to be a long period until, finally, a spare part was located.

A 1970 shot of Mr Townsend's shop and the corner shop as a heating engineer.

A different view of Townsend's shop, now a charity shop, and the earlier boot shop and heating
engineer, now a beauty salon.

On the corner with Harlesden Road a shop with diagonal entrance was opened in 1903 for bookmaker H Copus & Son.  In fact, Horton's and then Samuels, also boot and shoe makers, repairers and retailers, continued to thrive on this corner until around 1970, when major improvements were encouraged in the heating of homes and other buildings.  T A Horn had an important local part to play in this trend.  Walk around to the side elevation in Harlesden Road we note some colour relief to the brickwork was achieved by introducing occasional lines of red bricks instead of stocks, a similar effect being used around the windows and doorway.  The former garden has also been used entirely for additional ground floor accommodation.  We should remind ourselves that, in laying out the plots at the turn of the twentieth century it was with the building of residential accommodation, not shops, in mind.  One of the original blue enamel street plates, fixed by the rural council to designate Harlesden Road in 1906, is still visible at first floor level.

In the event that some readers may be carrying out their own research into Hatfield Road developments and discover that the address numbers used here do not correspond with their own findings, the original numbers were allocated when there was still much undeveloped land and the Post Office resorted to guessing how many to reserve for future use.  It was not until 1930 that a revised numbering plan was prepared and activated the following year.

Next time we will discover the story of one of the politically most controversial events in Fleetville's early history.

Squeezing One More In

 Continuing our detailed virtual walk along Hatfield Road, and in some cases imagine we are early residents exploring the "mile of shops", last time we had reached Sandfield Road.  The next block now takes us as far as Harlesden Road, although there is sufficient material this time to proceed roughly halfway – twelve properties  would be too many for a single post!  However, the perfect photo to begin with is Andy Lawrence's newly acquired picture of what the photographer had termed "The Promenade".

A c1912 photo of the properties between Sandfield and Harlesden roads.  Sun blinds are
prominent, with Mr Gibbs showing a corner version to further highlight the location of his
shop.  Note the three first floor bays nearest Sandfield Road, one of which is missing in a
later picture below.
COURTESY ANDY LAWRENCE

Since we left Glenferrie Road we would have been, in an earlier time, at the hedge line looking into a field formerly known as Long Moody, and already, by 1902, the corner plots now have buildings on them. At Sandfield Road this was a fine shop owned by Samuel J Gibbs who aspired to furnish the tenants and owners of the homes then being built around him.  As a corner shop he was able to display two full windows, and as intended the Gibbs family lived above the shop.  But as he became more successful the shop began to expand upstairs.  Around 1910, Mr Gibbs therefore purchased number 4 Sandfield Road behind the shop – not far to travel to work! It was, in fact the only house, close to the Hatfield Road boundaries; otherwise land remained open until number 20, so what happened to number 2?  Well, on the 1922 map a house seems to have been constructed on the rear garden of number 4.  Perhaps an initiative of Mr Gibbs who felt he did not need a rear garden.  So, even in those early days of the district extra houses were already being squeezed in!

Mr Gibbs handed the business on to Henry Lewis, and by the mid thirties Mr Graham Henderson opened a "curios and oddments shop" here, before moving it along to the Laurel Road corner after the war.  The biggest change came with the re-forming of the Grimaldi business in the early days of peace, and its petrol and car maintenance business was augmented by a Rootes car sales showroom at number 149.  Yes, two band new cars could be displayed inside the shop.  Fleetville went into car sales!  For a while you could purchase refrigerators and freezers from here, before Barclays upgraded the premises and moved its bank from the Crown, which it clearly felt was advantageous for business.

Here is number 149 on the corner after the occupation of St Albans Refrigeration in the 1960s.
A pillar-style police call box stands on the pavement corner, and we are just a short time before
new-style road signs.  Every change of occupant, it seems, has brought a different side facade
on the Sandfield Road frontage.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

The arrival of Barclays Banks has also created modernised and smart external frontage.  For
the first time the building is without its first floor bay window.
COURTESY BARCLAYS ARCHIVE

The next pair of shops came four years later, but were undoubtedly built by the same company as the corner shop.  Today, however the cohesive design is lost as the first floor bay window was removed in the later conversion to bank premises. Although number 151 spent some decades in George Weatherhead's care as a china shop, and then Charles Chuter for outfitting, undoubtedly the most well-known owner began here during the Second War: Frederick W Hickie.  When petrol is in short supply people turn to their bikes; then radio continued its popularity and we became curious about the new television service, Mr Hickie and his son were happy to serve.  Since the mid-sixties insurance and legal services have ventured into the suburbs to demystify one of life's needs which had formerly been found in the side roads of the city centre, sometimes above shops.

Hickie's bicycle and radio/tv shop in the 1950s, with father and son at the doorway.
COURTESY THE HICKIE COLLECTION

The complete development as it looked in 2012.  Again, the first floor bay window and projecting
eaves are now absent.

Number 153 was one of the first shops to break away from from the notion of each trader having his or her own single shop.  Charles Chuter ran his outfitter's from two adjacent properties from the 1920s, thereby signalling that retailing often needs a variety of footprints to work in.  Soon after the war Westminster (later NatWest) moved to join other chains in serving Fleetville, and in recognition of its success, later moved to larger premises which we met last time on the west corner of Sandfield Road.

Number 157's first occupant was James Andrews who sold the comprehensive range of
accessories, fitments and finishings to homes the company had built.  This would later
become Percy Stone's newsagent's shop.
COURTESY (name temporarily mislaid – to follow shortly)

The next pair of shops was clearly intended for a specific purpose.  James Andrews owned a building business.  He had acquired land on the opposite side of Hatfield Road for his builders' yard.  The righthand shop was in the care of his wife for the sale of builders and finishers accessories – and no doubt became the firm's office.  To the left of the central vehicle arch a shop was available to let, which provided a regular rental income; a trade which, until the 1970s, served as one of Hatfield Road's regular and frequent grocery shops.  Peep through the arch next time you are passing and the service buildings to the rear are still in regular use by the present occupiers of both shops: SK Carpets.

James Andrew's shop was on the right, but he owned both shops with access to workshops
through the arch; the left shop was let to a succession of grocer's.

Number 157's longest owner was was also one who had three successive trading addresses and saw Fleetville's very birth. Percy Stone's first store was where the Rats' Castle is today.  He later moved to Bycullah Terrace, before moving again to 157. Although generally known as a newsagent's we would recognise its product range in any newsagent's we walk into today (except perhaps the lottery tickets). There are many former teenagers who will recall their daily roles as paper boys, propping their bikes against the wall under the arch before climbing the steps into the shop.

It is along this section of Hatfield Road where the feature of the ground floor front elevations follow the street line, while the first floors are turned to face due south.  Although the two shops at 155 and 157 are modest in floor area, space being reserved for the arch, the first floor accommodation over the arch provides some compensation.

Oak Villas and a greengrocery

Between 1900 and the First World War the pace of building development on the north side of Hatfield Road was brisk, and at any one time there would be some construction happening in all of the streets, and naturally many builders were interested in plots facing Hatfield Road.  In this collection of posts the focus is on houses and shops; we'll return later for the story of the churches.

The area bounded by the red box identifies the Hatfield Road buildings in this post.  The centre pair
are Oak Villas; the left pair are Emerton's shops; the right was Mr Hills' house; finally the two spare
plots between.
COURTESY NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND

In travelling eastwards from The Crown the focus is now on the site between Glenferrie and Sandfield roads. In 1899 George Emerton took a look and became interested in two plots right in the middle.  We don't know whether that was coincidental or whether there was some symmetry at work.  But the outlook across the road was towards the field east of the Cemetery, rather than the burial ground itself.

Oak Villas 1 and 2 with a more modern front garden wall which obscures part of the front bay
windows.

What resulted was a semi-detached pair of houses, solidly built, with doors adjoining, the usual minimum width front garden, and named Oak Villas 1 and 2.  So who lived in them?  According to the street directories George Emerton himself lived in number 1 until 1910, and various tenants in number 2.  The Valuation Office record indicates there were workshops (plural) behind number 1, as if he was using Oak Villa 1 as a base for his building work.  Sisters Olive and Lily Emerton moved into number 2 in 1938 and remained resident until c1973. Equally interesting, number 1 was occupied by P Osborne for a short time and then Henry Jagels.  Their story is followed up below. But in recent years both villas have been converted in a Mosque.

From left to right, the two shops, Oak Villas 1 and 2, and the remaining spare plot. The first shop
blind shades Mr Davies' Toys and Sports shop; finally the original Hills' house, converted into jewellery and later a wool shop.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

In the meantime, the Valuation Office reveals George Emerton also acquired two plots to the west of Oak Villas.  In c1910 Mr Emerton raised two shops on these plots, which became 135 and 137.  Several Fleetville residents recently noted building alterations taking place and a pair of former shop fascia signs were revealed from an earlier period. 

Until the end of WW1 number 135 apparently remained empty, and then Miss O Emerton managed a confectionery shop there, before being let to a tailoring business.  From 1960 it was home to general engineers and instrument makers and in recent times was the location of a Credit Union.  Number 137 had been a greengrocery from 1912 onwards, firstly by the Osborne brothers, and then by the Jagels family. Henry Jagels and his wife lived in Oak Villa 1, and their son Frederick came to take over the greengrocery from the Osborne brothers.  The upstairs flat was not adequate for a family and as they are believed to have raised three children, the family lived in a house at the Brampton Road end of Glenferrie Road.  The greengrocery was thought to have remained Osborne's, even though it was managed by the Jagel family for over twenty years.  This would might account for the fascia sign.

Recent renovations reveal the former fascia sign for the greengrocery under the management
of the Osborne Brothers
COURTESY PETER ELLIOT

Around two years after Mr Emerton's arrival a house was constructed on the west corner of Sandfield Road.  It was quite narrow and was acquired by Mr Henry Hills.  He was another Hatfield Road occupier who relished the benefit of turning his ground floor into a shop to advance his jewellery trade.  Subsequently it became a drapery and a house furnishing shop.  From 1949 Mr Davies moved in to supply the increasingly popular wool trade, and until 1956 two plots between this shop and Oak Villas remained unused, which is a long period for an otherwise busy district shopping street.  But in that year Mr and Mrs Davies created an extension to the original shop on the corner and opened the ground floor as St Albans Toys & Sports.

A surprisingly spacious Sandfield Road c1912.  On the right is the side-facing living
accommodation of the corner house of Henry Hills.  Unfortunately I have not yet been able
to located a photo of the house frontage or the first version of the shop. The original 1906 Rural
Council street plate can just be seen to the left of the the first floor drain pipe on the east corner.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

By 1975 the Davies's had handed the property over to Westminster Bank/ National Westminster Bank, which extended the building further to include the remaining spare plot.  The floor to ceiling window sections extended from the entrance on the left to the corner and then along Sandfield Road.  As with all other examples all other national banks had branches in Fleetville, and eventually all closed those branches.

This is how the building was remodelled for its role as National Westminster Bank, although all
references to the bank have since been removed.

Today, the ground floor has an unrelieved and bland office treatment, although it is possible to identify the westward spare plot, then the Davis extension shop and finally the original corner house.