The Handy Stores

 Following a brief break we return this week to the south side of Hatfield Road where a new replacement building for the Girls' Central School was opened in 1931.  The County Council had no need of a road frontage in its day-to-day management of a school, and so from now on many of these sites would make use of passing trade and all would be developed in the same period as the school, around 1930.

The first property west of Morrison's car park, the timber yard of former times, is the Campaign for
Real Ale (CAMRA) building.  It was formerly West & Sellick, motor accessories and repairs. From above the plot is almost wedge-shaped and there is no back land the business can use.

Next door to the timber yard of W H Laver was the motor accessories and repair shop of West & Sellick.  Although today it is a headquarter building for the organisation Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) no changes have been made to the external structure, remaining as built.  Internally,  evidence of the original workshops and warehouse stores can still be detected, although today's use is administrative. The forecourt provided good space for parked cars and vans, but there was always room for stacks of tyres, presumably used ones which the company would not have minded disappearing overnight, so saving on disposal costs!

Businesses occupy the frontage plots while the school sits behind them.
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH

Next door was the entrance to the school.  It has come to be referred to as a pedestrian entrance, but when first opened it was the only entrance.  However, the number of vehicles would have been few in number and such routines as "the school run" non-existent   But a  separate vehicular entrance was created later in the decade.

This photo is from 1964.  The police pillar phone box is to the left of the school entrance, followed
by a pair of semi detached houses, in recent years replaced by a residential building in similar but more   modern style. Beyond is a group of three shops.  This is the period of Pat's Cafe and a year after Geoffrey Golding's business opened here. In this period the bus stop, minus lay-by, was still further along the road.  Today, it has moved to where the car is shown parked.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

From memory many of us imagine a small number of shops following on, but there has always been a residential building next to the school pedestrian entrance, a sizeable semi-detached pair, remarkably similar in design to the current building, although these are now apartments.  First identified in the 1928 street directory and soon named St George's and Moorshill by their respective owners, ex military camouflage officer Howard Edwards moved into St George's at the end of the war and launched his sign and screen painting business, which included substantial exhibition panels and murals. As the business grew – and included back screen cloths for major exhibitions at London exhibition centres –  lack of space forced him to move to former straw hat premises in Victoria Street as Falcon Displays.  The firm remains today though not in St Albans.

Adjacent premises went up at the same time, c1928, and became a group of three retail premises, 222, 220 and 218.  The first spent the majority of its time pre-millennium as a cafe.  As The Rendezvous it was a popular weekend meeting spot for cycling groups, and was later taken on by Jack Hart who also ran a cafe in Verulam Road. There were other owners in succession, including the Timms family who also used the premises as an aquatics shop – restful ambiance while sipping a cup of tea!  Today it is Claims Solutions.

The parade as it was in 2012 ...

... and recently.  In pulling the camera lens back a little the symmetry of this block is revealed,
with the soaring roofline of the two ends. An added point of interest is the inclusion of boundary
railings which was a feature of the next door cafe for many decades.
COURTESY GOOGLE STREETVIEW

The 1950s during the period of the twin units.

Looking eastwards in the era when ironmongers' shop windows often spilled onto the footpath,
although in this case it would have been the front garden!
COURTESY ANDREW FREEMAN

The Royal Warrant above Mr Golding's business.

Although G D Golding comes next today, the first three decades at 220 and 218 belong to a different trade.  Percy Sharp opened as the first retailer at number 218, calling it Household Stores.  Within three years Cyril Etches, who had successfully run bus services in the district with partner W Flowers, were bought out by London Transport in 1933.  They had a small bus garage at the eastern end of Wychlands Crescent.  Using his share of the buyout Etches purchased the household business from Sharp.  Within a short time he also moved in next door.  It took him a few years before his next move, renaming the business The Handy Stores.  However, he encountered strong competition, especially from Leon Reed a short distance away, who had eventually spread into three shop units, and so The Handy Stores returned to a single unit. In 1963 began the business opportunity taken on by Geoffrey D Golding.  Golding's bespoke tailoring business has remained at number 220 ever since and there can be few people unaware of the accolade of Geoffrey being awarded a Royal Warrant which he displays proudly above the shop front.  In 2021 Mr Golding announced his retirement, although he has ensured his business continues.

The closure of The Handy Stores also begins the consolidation of services to car owners, which will be detailed in the next post.