The Co-op Arrives

An early St Albans Co-operative Society grocery shop soon after the Society's formation in 1902.

 This week the focus for a photograph and building has only one problem: we don't know where it was, or rather, I have little idea of its whereabouts.  All I know is the obvious, because it says so on the fascia.  St Albans Co-operative Society. We see a fine establishment, apparently intending to go places; four assistants plus the manager, and much money spent on the shop frontage so clearly not for a location in the suburbs.  The style is in the typical design of the opening decade of the 20th century.

We know that the St Albans Co-operative Society expanded into other nearby towns, such as Hatfield, Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead, but of these only Hatfield had opened in the very early years.  Perhaps in St Albans Road and possibly near Tingeys.  But when did shops at Harpenden and Hemel launch?

But we should begin, as they say, at the beginning.  The Co-operative movement arrived in St Albans in 1902.  It is from the St Albans Society's Golden Jubilee booklet that we learn of the early shops that were open to its members.

The first grocery shop opened in London Road, in the same year of its formation.  Unfortunately I was unable to identify the premises, and critically for SACS a serious fire destroyed the building within a year.  So if that was the premises above, what an early end to this story!

The Society quickly obtained a short lease on 13 Verulam Road, which today is the location of Pizza Express.  Kelly's directories suggest the shop opened in c1906 and remained open until around 1914.  However, although the shop is shown attached (to number 11 on the left) there is no attachment where the fence is to the right, but we know that an attached building (number 15) was present at the time.  Which means the photograph is not 13 Verulam Road.

The Co-op bakery was build in Castle Road in 1914, its Hatfield grocery opened in the same year, and a bakery shop traded at 89 London Road.  The latter probably opened after the Fleetville bakery and therefore possibly not until the end of the war.  By which time shop front design had changed somewhat and would probably have been plainer at the lower end of London Road.  The bakery shop may have had a short life here as there is no mention of it in Kelly's directories. Today it exists just upstream of Gabriel Square.

A push to Fleetville took place in 1922 and Cambridge Road c1940. Warrior House and the Society's Central Hall was also opened in 1921/2.

We have therefore excluded any further possibilities for the shop in the top photograph, and from the evidence and possibilities above we can conclude that the location could have been

1.  The unknown numbered London Road premises in its opening year – an appropriate year for the Society to engage a professional photographer, but not to suffer a catastrophic fire; or

2. The Hatfield Shop which opened c1914. Much may depend on its exact location; or

3.  A location known by one of our readers.  Remember, key clues might be the building to the left, the space to the right, and what can be seen in the reflections from the display window.

Over to you!