The Quadrant Local Shops

 

The coloured base map shows the area covered by The Quadrant (in red).  The black overlay is the
former site of Marshalswick Farm (which had previously been known as Wheeler's Farm).
Marshalswick Lane is the curved road lower left; Sherwood Avenue (previously called
Woodlands Avenue) branches almost northwards from Marshalswick Lane.
COURTESY OPEN STREET MAP CONTRIBUTORS and NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND

A quiet period at The Quadrant recently.  Marshalswick Lane curves across the bottom of the image.
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH

A mid 1930s proposed plan of part of the New Marshalswick estate. The red circled area is labelled
"School site - at present Marshalswick Farm". This would later become the site of The Quadrant
instead.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

We can forget a cluster of four or five retail units round the corner or along the street, such as we've explored recently.  This week we've come to explore the daddy of them all, standing back proudly behind its own bend along what was known as the ring road – Marshalswick Lane – with its own pair of roundabouts.  This is The Quadrant, sporting its own definitive Article built into the title.  While intended to serve both old and new Marshalswick, today it is more widely signposted as a destination.  If the definition of Local Shops is a location you could walk to, in the case of The Quadrant it rather depends on how fit you are. While the centre's car parks (plural) have always been busy their main function today appear to serve more distant visitors.  As for bus services, if you live halfway along Charmouth Road, or anywhere else in Old Marshalswick for that matter, you are effectively as far from local shops as the city centre.

A view of the centre block at the front of The Quadrant in 1959.  There are as yet unoccupied
premises and an almost empty car park.
COURTESY CHRIS CARR

The developer placed an advertisement for potential tenants in the Herts Advertiser. Twenty-one of
31 shops in phase one were currently let.
COURTESY HERTS ADVERTISER

The Quadrant's gestation goes back to the mid-thirties when Marshalswick Farm was sold for housing following the eventual sale of Marshalswick House. T F Nash, a north London developer, published its initial plan for "the estate" meaning new Marshalswick, for old Marshalswick was already in build.  The road now known as Sherwood Avenue was to be a shopping street with units on both sides, and a cinema – possibly a multi-purpose hall.

But the style of the 1930s, replicated in dozens of north London residential estates alongside or spanning major roads, did not suit post-war retail layouts.  Instead a large swathe of the new estate was classified as a high density zone for flats, schools, shops and other services.  The former farm was still standing together with its barns, ponds and wooded surroundings, and in 1957 work began on clearing the site and creating phase one of the shops.

In a blog of this size it is not possible to plot the many changes which have taken place in the past sixty years, but a second phase was added from the mid-sixties, with an additional five shop units to lengthen both wings, although a sixth unit was created on the south  side by the expedient of dividing one full unit into two halves (the first iteration of Marshalswick Carpet Company, and Terry Watts, hairdresser).

The early days of the north wing, part of which was developed later, included a Chinese food outlet, Neighbourette laundrette, Wright's grocery, Kristian ladies' hairdresser, Norbury greengrocer, and the double-fronted corner shop was held by Victoria Wine.

Phase two of the southern wing showing a double unit occupied by Barclays Bank, which went
on to be joined by Lloyds Bank in the same block. Both have now left.
COURTESY BARCLAYS ARCHIVE

Phase one and phase two blocks on the south side taken c2012.  Opposite are the branch library,
community centre, M&S Food Hall (formerly The Baton PH) and Sainsbury's Local.

The south wing's double fronted unit launched with Giffen's Electrical (although this was soon followed by Darby's Radio and then Sherriff's Garden Shop).  The rest of the lineup included Micheline de Paris ladies' hairdresser, Drummonds toys and sports, Martin's newsagent and Post Office, Allen's hardware, Marshalswick Motors, Marshalswick Carpets, and Terry Watts men's hairdresser.  This side also features branches of Barclays and Lloyds banks, and the estate office of T F Nash, later McGlashan & Co.

The long sweep of the front road began with a double unit in the centre: Marshalswick Car Sales, although this seemed to be a temporary arrangement as the company moved to a separate building fronting Marshalswick Lane where today's Sainsbury's Local and petrol forecourt is.  Bishops Stores nestled into the double unit by c1965.

A full page advertisement placed in the Herts Advertiser by the DIY shop
Edward Carter, who also had a shop in the parade at Beech Road.
COURTESY HERTS ADVERTISER

From left to right the early shops included R J Blindell, shoes; Josephine, newsagent; C J Martin, chemist; Edward Carter, hardware (today we would called it DIY); The Woolshop; Notts bakers; E Butler, butcher; Pearks Dairies; Gerrard, fruiters; Kingston butchers; E Wright, watch maker and repairer; Longman's baby shop; Alicia, drapers; Andrews, outfitters; Eastman, dry cleaners; Marshalswick Furnishing (although a cycle shop existed here for a short time).

The frontage view of The Quadrant seen from Marshalswick Lane.
COURTESY GOOGLE STREET VIEW

That's quite a range for everyday as well as more specialist  requirements. But how have our apparent needs of yesteryear become our apparent needs for today?  As in many places the hardware/ironmongery shops have disappeared to more distant warehouses on retail parks.  Our groceries have become more diverse – the size of Budgens is identical to earlier Bishops, although next door's McColls may, by the time you read this, have morphed into a Morrison's Daily, but Sainsbury, which once wanted to make a sizeable appearance at Jersey Farm, now occupies a prominent location close to another even more prominent position at M&S Food – for readers who have moved away from the district in recent years the Baton PH was located here.

If the definition of Local Shops is a location you could walk to, in the case of The Quadrant it rather depends on how fit you are. While the centre's car parks (plural) have always been busy the main function today appear to serve more distant visitors.  As for bus services, if you live halfway along Charmouth Road, or anywhere else in Old Marshalswick for that matter, you are effectively as far from local shops as the city centre.

We now appear to crave more food on the go, and although Fish and Chips had made an appearance from the earliest days, Subway and Greggs have been added to the list.  Not to mention a Chinese,  Italian, kebab, KFC and Molen's cafe.

Not surprisingly I suppose, the banks, of which there were two, are now absent.  On the other hand, no-one felt the need for an estate agent, but now there are four.  There are also three charity shops and a kitchen design service for the five thousand homes which are apparently looking more old fashioned since the 1960s.  

Whatever the mix there is bound to be plenty of variety and competition among over forty shops, much as there has been since this retail adventure launched in 1959, gradually replacing the ad-hoc trade provided by a small number of mobile shops and delivery vans.