The Romance of the Crisp
The Growth of an Industry Described to Brentford Traders
The fascinating story of the rise to national fame of the potato crisps – one of the romances of modern industry – was told to members of the Commercial Section of the Brentford Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday night by Mr C. J. Scott, a director of Smith’s Crisps, Ltd.
Mr W. J. Meyers, Junr, presided, supported by Mr C. J. Scott and Mr C. Elkins (secretary). Others present included Mr A. E. Wiseman (president) Mr A. H. Charlton, J.P., Mr A. P. Ledsham, Mr W. J. Bolton and Mr A. E. Moore. Continue reading “The Romance of the Crisp”
Watermen at War
BRENTFORD & CHISWICK TIMES
Friday May 29th 1942
WATERMEN AT WAR
Barges and Canal Boats are Vital Links in Supply Chain
BRENTFORD MEN’S EXPERIENCES.
Through Fires and Bombs Up River in London Blitz
On the late afternoon of September 6th 1940 a solitary pair of boats, frail river craft, moved steadily up the Thames between banks of blazing warehouses, flying masonry, and under a sky noisy with ‘planes and the crash of anti-aircraft fire. The boats’ crew of five, including two Brentford men, were maintaining the slogan ‘Keep Moving’, which river and canal workers have nailed to their masts for the duration. Continue reading “Watermen at War”
Looking after bikes during football matches
Memory of Mr Stan Prince who lived at No. 92 Brook Road:
“On days when the bikes used to come around, my dad would give me a couple of shillings for helping him. People used to cycle all the way from Windsor and Staines to watch Brentford play.
“This was before cars began to come in, and trains were expensive. Blokes used to jump off the bikes, we’d give them a ticket; we slapped a ticket on the bike and they’d run off to get into the queue for the ground.
“We used to run ’em through the house. We’d have loads of bikes in there. Threepence a time. You might rake in about 15 shillings. At the end of the game, they’d be saying, ‘where’s my bl**dy lamp gone; where’s my pump!’ Continue reading “Looking after bikes during football matches”
Residents Alarmed Over Car Parking
Residents Alarmed Over Car Parking
Fire Engines could not get through
Brentford Petition Raised
This picture, taken on Good Friday when Brentford were at home to Sheffield Wednesday, is typical of the scene in side roads when a Second Division game is staged at Griffin Park. A fire engine could not get through these roads.
Families living in streets round Brentford football ground have learned to fear the days when the first team is playing at home. Then the area is turned into a potential fire-trap as hundreds of cars park bumper to bumper along the narrow roads, sometimes three abreast. Continue reading “Residents Alarmed Over Car Parking”
The Ditch of Eastbourne Road
“The Ditch” A reader calls attention to the condition of the narrow thoroughfare at the bottom of Eastbourne Road, and which is locally referred to as “the ditch”. Building operations are proceeding in the immediate vicinity, but whether this fact has anything to do with the state the lane has lapsed into we do not know. Our informant says the mud is two or three … Continue reading The Ditch of Eastbourne Road
Brook Road Sweet Shop
“The corner of Brook Road and Lateward Road, Brentford, is of particular significance for Micky and Albert Mancey, who now live in Ealing Road, Brentford. It is here where the Brentford couple first met more than 50 years ago, when Albert used to buy chocolates for his niece from what was then a confectionery and tobacconist owned by Micky’s mother.
“Our picture in the Looking Back section below, taken of the shop in 1926, shows (from left) Micky; her mother, Hetty Wastell; and sister Nelly, who now lives in Christchurch. Continue reading “Brook Road Sweet Shop”
1872 Sale of Cultivated Land
Daubney’s Greengrocers, 45 Brook Road
Long established family shopkeepers are difficult to find in towns today. But in Brentford, if you wander around the Victorian terraced back streets, a small handful of them still open their doors for business every day – a tradition that dates back generations.
Greengrocer, Bill Daubney, aged 65, is one whose name has been above his shop in Brook Road South for the last 46 years, and could conjure up an entire panorama of Brentford as fresh as his vegetables.
Bill produced two oval gilt framed portraits of his parents, “I only found them the other day” he said. He recalled that the pictures cost 24 shillings each. “My mother paid 6d a week for them” he said.
Bill, his parents and seven brothers and sisters , lived in a small cottage in Albany Road, one street away from where he works now.
His father was a greengrocer, and his grandfather worked in the fish trade. Both were born and bred in Brentford. Continue reading “Daubney’s Greengrocers, 45 Brook Road”
Brook Road South – the War Years
There has been some publicity recently about a website showing incidents of bombing all over the country during World War 2.
The Local Studies Collection in Chiswick Library holds the records of all the local ‘incidents’ which suggest that 26 people were killed in Brentford due to the bombing, 63 were seriously injured and 149 suffered minor injuries.
The ‘incident’ that caused the most damage in Brook Road happened at 01.40 on September 29th 1940 and was one of 29 occurrences in the borough that night. Continue reading “Brook Road South – the War Years”
Brook Road South – Early 20th Century
By the early 20th century the orchards had gone and the road was built up on both sides. There were shops on the corners of the side roads and the consecutive numbering had been changed to odds and evens as it is nowadays.
The 1901/2 street directory shows the east side of the road at number
1 Frank Jarvis was a baker,
43 John Edward Ross was a hairdresser,
45 Robert Dixon greengrocer,
57 Thomas Everdene was a grocer,
The Griffin had been there since 1884 and Henry A Compton was the landlord.
59 Frederick Luffrum was a greengrocer. Continue reading “Brook Road South – Early 20th Century”
The History of Brentford 