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Numbers 79 - 85 High Street, Old Brentford

This section, on the southern side of the High Street, runs from Dock Road to the western edge of Old Brentford parish and is opposite where Somerfield supermarket is today. It includes a surviving 18th century building, number 80.

In the tithe return from 1839/ 1841 John Clarke owned 4 houses & gardens to the west of Dock Road; William & Henry Jupp owned the other 5 houses, gardens and buildings adjacent to John Clarke's property and running up to the parish boundary.

The properties to the west of no. 81 appear differently on the tithe, 1865 and 1894 OS maps.

• tithe: a large property (82) and two smaller ones (83 & 84)
• 1865: a small property (82) and two larger ones (83 & 84)
• 1894: a small property (82) and one very large one (83)

Properties

Notes prepared for numbers 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 and Jupps Wharf; also a list of photos, ephemera and maps.

Number 79

A property on the western corner of Dock Road used as offices by the Underwood's hay and straw business from around 1871. This may have originally been three properties: the tithe map shows three houses and a garden, two fronting the High Street and an adjoining property behind them.

'Representatives of Art, Industries & Commerce at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century' notes The present head office, situated in the main street of Brentford, is a substantial brick building, providing accommodation for a numerous staff of clerks and that Harry T Underwood was a partner in the firm since 1873.

Two adverts from the early 1900s refer to 79 High Street:

Middlesex Independent 23 January 1901 has an advertisement:
TO SMALL CAPITALISTS AND INVESTORS
The Trustees of the Brentford Hearth and Home Building Society have for sale
THREE SOUND INVESTMENTS
the repayments of which are spread over a number of years.
For particulars apply 79, High Steet, Brentford.

This edition included a death notice for Queen Victoria.
The Brentford and District Hearth and Home Benefit Building Society advertised from May 1888 (Secretary George Challis of 82 High Street)and was dissolved in 1902.

The Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press 26 July 1902 advertised:
Wanted, two or three good HAYBINDERS at once. - Write, 79, High Street, Brentford.

Presumably Underwoods sought seasonal workers.

In the 1909/10 valuation records it was described as a very old house, premises, office and stable, frontage 29' 6", owned by Mrs Fanny H Clarke and occupied by Mr Underwood who paid £150 rental for numbers 79 and 80. The occupier's tenancy term was 50 years from 1883. A 21-stall brick built stable lay to the rear and was partly used as a store.

Edwin Underwood's business was dissolved in 1909, although the 1913 trade directory records Edwin Underwood still at no. 79 'hay salesmen and coal merchants'. The business was finally wound up in 1915, shortly after he died (Board of Trade records at TNA).

In 1911 Herbert Frank William Lewis, 34, and his wife Mary Ann, 35, lived at no. 79. His occupation was foreman hay and straw yard, presumably he worked for Harry Underwood. Their home had three rooms. Mary Ann gave her exact birthplace: '13 Martha Place, Coley Street, Reading Berkshire St Marys Parish'.

By the time the 1920/1 directory was compiled, no. 79 was offices for the Brentford Concrete Construction Co. Ltd, who shared the premises with the West London Metal Refining Co. in 1928.

Dee Tickner's family used to live at no. 79 until 1929 and Dee has written up memories of her grandfather, Fredrick Tickner senior and his son, Frederick Tickner junior.

By 1940 William Dowdall lived here.

The 1952 electoral register has records of nine voters at 79A, 79B, 79C, 79D, 79E and 79 High Street: presumably a conversion to or new-build flats.

Advertisements chart some later uses of no. 79:

West London Observer 02 July 1954:
SHOP, small corner L/U, 79 High Street, Brentford, 27/6d. inclusive weekly or lease. Any trade, office, etc. - Caretaker, 80-D High Street, Brentford, after 5.30pm.

Strand Glass Co. Ltd were at this address in 1967. The Daily Mirror of 18 February carried their advertisement for a 'Glass Fibre Kit', only 28/- carriage paid.

'Local solicitors Anthony Holden Crofts & Co. have recently opened a new office at Dock House, 79 High Street, Brentford' (Richmond Informer 28 April 1989). They retained this office until at least 1999 (advertisement Ealing Leader 18 Jun 1999).

There was a modern building on this site in 2002. (L)

See Photos/Ephemera/Maps for links to a 1945/6 photo of this property and the modern property which replaced it.

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Number 80

John Clarke lived in this L-shaped property, which had a large garden and was set back from the High Street, at the time of the 1839/41 tithe apportionment. He ran a coal & lime business. See Janet McNamara's article for details of the development of the business from its earliest days in the C18. John Clarke left an interesting will when he died in 1856.

In the Valuation Records it was described as A brick built semi-detached house with tiled roof on 3 floors and basement. Very old and requires repair.

• Top floor: 4 rooms, bathroom with WC
• First floor: 3 rooms, bathroom with WC, dressing room
• Ground floor: 3 sittings rooms
• Basement: kitchen scullery, cellar

The property had the same owner and occupier as no. 79 and 79 & 80 were valued together at £3000. No. 80 had a frontage to the High Street of 47' 6".

In 1911 no. 80 was occupied by Harry Thomas Underwood, 52, hay and straw merchant and his family: wife Caroline, 54 and their five daughters, all still living with their parents - Sarah Gladys 27, Violet Carice 24, Dorothy May 21, Olive ...ale 16 and Ivy Muriel 15. Two servants completed the household: Louisa Jane Farrington 19 and Jane Mary Farrington, 15, both born in Brentford. Violet and Dorothy were commercial clerks and their two youngest sisters were at school. All of the girls were born in Brentford. Number 80 had twelve rooms.

The 1952 electoral register records 13 people at 80A to 80G High Street: presumably flats.

The building was listed in 1981 (J).

In 2003 no. 80 was used by Soni and Kaur, solicitors. (L)

See Photos/Ephemera/Maps for a link to 1945/6 and 2002 photos of this property.

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Number 81

Arthur Goll, 'attendant at institute', lived here in 1881 with his wife Jane E. 1878 trade directory entry for 81 High Street 'Brentford Institute, Library and Reading Room (Robert Emmerson sec)'.

In 1891 Alfred Sherwin, commercial traveller, age 31, born Colnbrook Bucks lived here. He remained in 1901 'corn merchants traveller'. In 1911 he and his family were still here: his wife Fanny Eleanor was 52 and born in Brentford as were their three surviving children of four: son Horace Alfred 24 who worked as a Gas Works official, daughters Kate Annie, 22 shop assistant and Fanny Augusta 19. Alfred's younger and unmarried brother, John Sherwin, 49, lived with the family, he was a corn merchant's foreman. The house had eight rooms.

Described in the 1909/10 Valuation as a semi-detached house on two floors, brick built and slated. On the top floor were 3 rooms, bathroom and two rooms communicating. On the ground floor a drawing and dining room, kitchen, scullery and WC. The property had a frontage to the High Street of 33' 9"and was let for £26 / year, the owner being George H. Jupp of Stafford House, Brentford.

Alfred Sherwin is recorded at this address in street directories up to 1920/1.

By 1928 Arthur Edward Entecott lived at this address, by 1933 Henry Maurice Royle. In 1940 the property was used by Alfred Leonard Fry, solicitor & commissioner for oaths; and Humphrey E Davy, dentist.

Alfred Leonard Fry was recorded at no. 81 in the 1952 electoral register, along with Helena Carter and Harry Langford. Two voters named Middleton lived at 80A High Street in 1952.

Later this building became part of the Wilson and Kyle Ltd complex, diesel engineers who moved from premises in Catherine Wheel Yard to the High Street between 1955 and 1956 (telephone directories (ancestry.co.uk)).

On February 12 2015 the locally-listed two-storey building, apparently of Georgian origin, went under the wrecking ball making way for the new waterside development.

See Photos/Ephemera/Maps for a link to a 2002 photo of this property and more about Wilson and Kyle.

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Number 82

In 1881 Amy & Julia Dessurne, music teachers, born Scotland and in their twenties, were living here.

No. 82 was owned by George Harman Jupp in 1909/10 and was a smaller terrace house, frontage 12' 4". It had just one bedroom (dirty) and a bathroom used by the tenants of no. 83 on the top floor. On the ground floor 2 rooms and there was a basement containing a coal cellar, kitchen, outside washhouse. Internally it was in dirty repair, externally in good repair.

In 1911 William Wilkins and his wife Sarah lived in this four-room house; he was a labourer for a corn merchant, 74, married 42 years to Sarah, who was 76, they had no children and both were born in Byfleeet, Surrey.

This may have originally been a larger building (see notes above).

Numbers 82 and 83 were used by the London Radio College during the late 1920s / early 1930s.

Telephone directories (ancestry.co.uk) show Wilson and Kyle Ltd, Diesel Engineers, moved to 82 High Street between 1955 and 1956.

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Number 83: Stafford House

The 1881 census shows Samuel P Davis, Brighton-born accountant, at no. 83 with his wife and family of three children.

In 1891 George H Jupp lived at no. 83, which by then probably incorporated no. 84, see note above. He was a maltster & corn merchant and was living with his wife, four children a Jupp visitor, cook and housemaid.

In 1901 George's son Maurice Victor Jupp, grain merchants' clerk, age 23, lived here, although he described himself as 'son', so possibly his family were temporarily away.

In 1909/10 no. 83 was described as having a 46' frontage to the High Street and was a 'brick built house on 2 floors, old but in good repair'.

The top floor had eight bedrooms & a dressing room. The ground floor had drawing, dining and billiard rooms, a kitchen, scullery and conservatory. There were cellars under.

1907 & 1913 trade directories list George Harman Jupp senior at no. 83. He was away at the time of the 1911 census as Stafford House was occupied by Sarah Smith, widow, 63, caretaker and her daughter Florecnce, 36; both were born in Brentford. Stafford House had 13 rooms.

Numbers 82 and 83 were used by the London Radio College during the late 1920s / early 1930s.

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Number 84

No. 84 was occupied by John Chiswell and his wife Jane in 1881. John was a corn foreman.

The 1891 census and 1909/10 Valuation have no record of no. 84. In the 1911 census the summary of addresses links 83 and 84 together. See note above.

Jupps Wharf

Behind no 85 were the maltings of Messrs Jupp. They were in business from 1826 until WWII (Q114). There is a note in the vestry minutes of St Mary's Ealing regarding Messrs Jupp winning a tender for supplying Ealing workhouse with peas in 1832 (P).

Access to Jupps Wharf lay between numbers 84 and 85 High Street. See more details of the Jupp family.

1898 trade directory: Jupp & Sons, maltsters, corn factors and coal merchants, 84 & 85 High Street & Kew Bridge Road; malt house Ferry Lane.

1907 trade directory: Jupp & Sons, corn merchants, 84 & 85 High Street.

In the 1911 census Jupp and Sons Wharf was recorded after number 85, a family named Carter living in a four-room property here: Harry Carter, 36, carter for a corn merchants, his wife Sarah Gertrude, 34 and their two daughters Mabel 7 ('Mable') and Hilda 1. The parents were born in Brentford.

The 1913 trade directory lists Jupp & Sons, corn & coal merchants at just no. 85. Jupp & Sons continued to trade from no. 85 in 1920, 1928; by 1933 they were 'corn merchants' and a similar entry appears in 1940, by which time the premises were also used by the Tunnel Portland Cement Co. Ltd.

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Number 85

No. 85 was used as offices for Jupp and Sons until at least 1940 (trade directory).

In 1881 Thomas Shotter, commercial clerk, lived here with his wife and five children.

In 1891 Charles Cooper, carman, lived at no. 85 with his wife Jane. In the 1901 census the same man, still a carman, is recorded in 'Jupps Yard'.

In 1909/10 described as 'office, house & premises'. It was brick built and slated, had two floors with three rooms on the top floor, a shop, office, small room, kitchen, scullery, WC and washhouse on the ground floor. The property had a 16' 10" frontage to the High Street and its western wall formed the parish boundary between the parishes of Old Brentford to the east and New Brentford to the west.

In 1911 number 85 had one occupant, the same man as back in 1891: Charles Cooper, carman for a corn merchant, 64, married 35 or 38 years (no sign of his wife). He was born in Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire. His home had three rooms.

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Photos/Ephemera/Maps

Links are included below to some photos, ephemera or maps accessible on this site. There may be additional photos on the site - suggest you check the Properties - photos link to the left.

References such as '1899 (A11)' indicate the date of a photo (1899) and where it is published (A11). Details of 'A' are available: see Mainly paper sources page; '11' refers to the page no, or photo no. in the publication.

Photos

79 1945/6 photo(H); Strand Glass Co. at 79 High Street pre 1968 (F); modern building, 2002/3 (L);

80 Listed 1951 (J); opposite Somerfield Supermarket 2002 (L); 1945/6 photo(H); photo from 2002/3 (L)

81 Derelict 2002 ; includes memories of Stephen Privett who worked at Wilson & Kyle(L)

Maps

1839 Tithe map modern numbers 79 to 85 have tithe property refs 18 to 14

1894 Ordnance Survey Map annotated with house numbers

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Roads Off

Dock Road between numbers 78 & 79; Dock Road is now the pedestrian entrance to the housing at Brentford Dock Estate. There are still the original granite sets on the road. (L 2003)

Published 2006; last updated April 2022