Rescue mission 1

 As long-standing readers of this blog will recall, I try to remind readers occasionally of landscape features which at one time existed somewhere in our district, or perhaps still exist but may have changed since they were last known to exist.  Of course there is a real possibility that a particular feature, well-known as it might have been, was nevertheless never knowingly photographed, except remaining as an incidental part of a scene taken for a quite different reason.  

The Sear & Carter partnership had a shop with a side and rear nursery plot next to St Paul's Church
until it was replaced by St Paul's Place.

In many cases a part of the landscape may be retained uniquely, having been photographed once, and only once, the result remaining the sole survivor of a place which at one time would have been quite common or well frequented. Photos in the form of private collections of paper pictures –  even glass slides from the early days of photography, or card mounted slides from the "popular post-war" period of colour photography.  All have been resilient over time and have survived multiple house moves and changes of family owner.  Until ...  Most end up the subject of a decision, whether to retain or throw, or perhaps pass to a relative in the hope of extending a collection's life.

We may believe that modern digital photographs stand the best chance of survival considering the vast number of clicks.  Not so, as most digitals are considered temporary, and their sheer quantity makes sorting and sifting a challenging task for even the most fastidious of us.

So here are the first two challenges to establish whether their subjects still form a small part of someone's collection somewhere ... anywhere!

Sear & Carter Nursery, Smallford

The company had several trial grounds, their largest being at the former New Zealand 
Nurseries.  Sear & Carter opened the Smallford site as their main sales nursery until 1967.
COURTESY NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND

Sear & Carter used the field in the centre.  Hatfield Road crosses the picture from left to right 
right.  The photograph was from the 1946 RAF aerial survey.

Photo shows Hatfield Road looking to the east.  On the left is the former toll house and
the old Four Horseshoes Beer House, beyond which was the entrance to Sear &
Carter's Nursery; the same entrance used by Notcutts today.

The partnership of Frank Sear and Thomas Carter had become established in the early years of Fleetville.  They had a shop and a small nursery next to St Paul's Church, the church being on the corner  of Hatfield and Blandford roads.  When the business moved in 1960 it was to a significantly larger location opposite the Three Horseshoes public house and near to what used to be known as Smallford Crossroads (but of course that became a roundabout many decades ago).  This little location had been home to several market gardening and plant nurseries, the largest survivor, once called Nielsen's, has arguably become the most successful in still trading as Glinwell.

However, another had been called (or perhaps sent would be more appropriate after their council eviction) to the New Zealand Nurseries. The New Zealand had, in the late 19th century, having moved there from where Loreto College was later established. S&C then acquired the Smallford site, at which time a bungalow was recalled at the end of a long drive from Hatfield Road.  Later in the sixties the Sear & Carter nursery finally sold out to Notcutts, a firm already trading with other garden centres.  Notcutts, of course is even more successful today, as Smallford was the second of what is now a network of nineteen garden centres.

Notcutt's entrance drive today.  In the 1960's you would have used the same turning when
the owning company was Sear & Carter.

Even today the Sear & Carter era is believed to remain in a small number of memories, of which the bungalow appears to have become the dominant feature of the site; the entrance being in the same place we drive in to the modern centre today.  Does a photograph exist, perhaps with the name board which may not be recalled by everyone.  Indeed, this period is beyond the lifetimes of a large swathe of the population!  It may help to be reminded that a short collection of roadside buildings were then on that side of the road, including a beer house named the Four Horseshoes – not be be confused with the Three Horseshoes on the other side of the road!

Co-operative Supermarket, Hatfield Road

Today, probably the most well-known location in Fleetville is that of Morrison's Supermarket; no need to describe it in much detail.  Before the 1890s it was a field between the branch railway and the recently de-tolled turnpike Hatfield Road, and in 1897 work was seriously underway to build a printing works of significant size for the Fleet Street business of Thomas E Smith.  No doubt as a firm it would have lasted for much longer and didn't even make it until the end of the First World War.  But as a building it was occupied by Grubb Telescopes for a few years, before being acquired by the Cotzin brothers for the hugely successful Ballington Hosiery Mill, also known as Ballito, the brand name of its product range.  Only in 1967 was the original structure vacated and eventually torn down.

The Bindery department in the T E Smith printing works taken c1906.

The same building was taken on in some secrecy during the First World War for submarine
periscope work and later for the construction of large telescopes.  The company name was
Howard Grubb.

The site had reached maximum capacity after the Second World War as Ballito and
Marconi Instruments both used the original structure "with a few additions".

Then St Albans Co-operative Society changed its provisions policy of peppering single-unit shops around the town in favour of a more central supermarket in a building specifically designed for it.  The Co-op Supermarket was the focus of the 1980s, but in less than a decade the company sold out to the giant of the day, Safeway, in a larger new building.  Finally the giant of the North invaded; Morrison's took over Safeway's existing building and then extended further.  So, in the space of 130 years six businesses have traded here in three different buildings.  

The missing sequence is St Albans Co-operative Society.  Safeway redeveloped the site
before being taken on and further enlarged by Morrison's.

Photography has given us a number of images of the printing works in use, and of the telescope assembly within the same building.  Archives are overflowing with pictures; Ballito's use of photography to help sell its product range is well known.  Even Safeway and Morrison have their building styles which can be identified wherever you are.  But after that, what can you say?  A supermarket is just a supermarket.

But the Co-op should have stood out in the smaller food shop style manual.  It was before today's standard boxes, more human in processing its customers through their visits, and it helped to lead the way towards creating bespoke localised regional supermarket brands now found across the country.  You wouldn't class the Co-op building as stylish but then it didn't spend unnecessary amounts on the bricks, mortar and glass.

What I have failed to locate, however, are photos of Fleetville's first supermarket: the Co-op, was to have been at its own vehicle maintenance depot in Sutton Road, until turned down by Planning.  Did anyone take their camera with them on the store's opening day, for example; or even on the final day of trading before the 'dozers moved in to level the ground once more .  Or, of course on any day between.