Maidenhead Street, Hertford, 1921

Maidenhead Street, looking towards the gates to the Castle grounds, c. 1930 (credit: Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies)

With the release of the 1921 census comes the opportunity to see how the occupancy of properties in Maidenhead Street changed over the previous 10 years since the last census was carried out. Many of the businesses and residents remained the same, but a comparison with an earlier article on this site, Maidenhead Street, Hertford, 1911, as well as reference to trade directories of the time show that there were indeed some changes. The numbers of the relevant properties are highlighted in bold in this article. The even-numbered properties were located on the north side of the street and the odd-numbered ones on the south side.

In the 1921 census the long-standing family department store of Graveson & Co. is still listed at Nos. 1 and 3, on the corner of Maidenhead Street and Market Place, but J. J. Rayment & Son were no longer at No. 2. According to Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1922, there was now a branch of the dispensing chemists Boot’s Cash Chemists (Southern) Limited at No. 2. In 1888 a private company had been formed and money was needed to finance the firm’s expansion. After this the shops traded as Boot’s ‘Cash Chemists’, which allowed customers to pick drugs off the shelves and pay for them in cash at the till, no doubt distinguishing them from the more expensive pharmacies.

The 1921 census has no record of the occupants of No. 2a –the ‘Cinematograph Theatre’, which had been located there in 1911, had closed in 1914. At No. 2b, however, was Samuel Hilton & Sons, Ltd, boot manufacturers. They had been at No. 4 previously, but Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1922 lists a company called The Spring Valley, which was a provisions merchant, now at this address.

Advertisement in Simson’s Hertford and Ware Directory, 1920 (credit: Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies)

The occupants of the next few properties remained the same in 1921: G. Garrett & Co., watchmakers and jewellers, at No. 5; Arnold Thomas, draper, at No. 6; the International Tea Stores Limited at No. 7; and Eastmans Limited, butchers, at No. 9. There is no entry for No. 8 in either the 1911 or 1921 census.

In 1911 butchers James Nelson & Sons, Ltd were at No. 10. By 1921, however, a company called British & Argentine Meat Co., Ltd, is listed there – but given that James Nelson was also a meat importer, might this perhaps have been the same company under a different name?

In 1921 there was a different publican, Thomas Goy, at The Old Coffee House Inn, situated at No. 11 on the corner of Maidenhead Street and Honey Lane, and there were changes at Nos. 12 and 13 too. No. 12 was now the location of Home & Colonial Stores Limited, tea dealers, according to Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1922, and another trade directory, Simson’s Hertford and Ware Directory, 1920, lists the Empire Meat Co., Ltd, butchers, at No. 13.

George Henry Mansfield, 47, originally from Gloucestershire, lived at No. 14 with his wife Mabel Elizabeth, 35, from the Isle of Wight, and their 7-year-old daughter Joan, who had been born in Cheshire. George’s parents also lived with the family in the 3-room home – Alfred, 73, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, and Sarah, 72, from Cranham, also in Gloucestershire. George was a grocery manager for the Enfield Highway Co-operative Society, Limited, which occupied the same premises.

Advertisement in Simson’s Directory Guide & Reference Book 1924-5 Hertford (credit: Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies)

Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1922 lists John Cooper & Sons, ironmongers, at No. 15, but also at Nos. 17 and 21, which is where he was located in 1911.

No. 16 was still the location of the Maidenhead Inn, after which the street had been named, but the 1921 census reveals that it had a new publican. This was John H. Emons, 46, from Hackney in London, whose role was described as a licensed victualler. He lived on the premises with his wife Violet, 39, from Tottenham in London, and their two sons and one daughter – Denis, 14, Leslie, 9, both born in London, and Peggie, 2, born in Widford in Hertfordshire. The family had one servant, Hilda Pryar, 17, from [Much?] Hadham in Hertfordshire, who lived in.

In 1911 a butcher, George Chapman, was to be found at No. 18 and he would appear to have been still there in both 1918 (according to Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1918) and 1924 (as listed in Herts and Essex Trade Directory 1923-4), although the 1922 edition of Kelly’s lists another butcher, Arthur Cooper, there at that time. Also listed at No. 18 in the 1921 census is a family (living in 3 rooms, presumably above the shop), headed by Edward Field Scott, 31, from Orwell in Cambridgeshire. He was a bakery and grocery deliverer for the Welwyn branch of the St Albans Co-operative Society and was married to Priscilla Mary, also 31, from Barkway in Hertfordshire. They had two children – Donald Sidney, 8, born in Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, and Evelyn Mary, 4, born in Barkway in Hertfordshire.

Advertisement in Simson’s Directory Guide & Reference Book 1924-5 Hertford (credit: Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies)

There seem to have been no changes in the occupancy of the next two properties – outfitters Drury Brothers were still at No. 19, and grocers Walker & Co.’s Stores Limited, remained at No. 20. At No. 21, however, as well as John Cooper & Sons’ other location, there was now a family living on these premises (which had 6 rooms), in 1921. William Taylor, 32, from Stanborough in Hertfordshire, was a labourer for the gravel pits, working for Joe Smart in nearby Cole Green. Living with him was his wife Mary, 33, and her mother Jane Threader, 74, both from near Wheathampstead and whose roles were listed in the census as ‘home duties’.

There were new occupants at No. 22 too. The 1921 census tells us that Matthew William Lumbers, 55, a confectioner and tobacconist originally from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, lived there with his wife Ellen Ethel, 51, and his niece Hannah Beatrice Mary Morris, 21, both from Buntingford in Hertfordshire. Ellen’s occupation is described as ‘house duties’ and Hannah worked with Matthew as his assistant in the shop. There were 4 rooms in the property.

Neither the 1911 nor the 1921 census gives any details about the occupants of No. 23, but at No. 24 there is a record in the 1921 census of Hannah Pratt at this address. Previously, in 1911, her ‘toy warehouse’ or ‘fancy repository’ was located at No. 28 Maidenhead Street and it was still listed there (or more accurately, perhaps, on the corner of Maidenhead Street and The Wash) in various directories in later years, so it is likely that by 1921 Hannah no longer lived above the shop, having moved to a separate residence at No. 24, which had 7 rooms.

Advertisement in Simson’s Directory Guide & Reference Book 1924-5 Hertford (credit: Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies)

Still living with her there was her niece Mary Ann, but also her grandson Arthur Ronald Pratt, 9, who had been born in Hornsey in Middlesex. Three other people are listed in the census, but are identified as ‘visitors’ by the census enumerator – her grand-daughter Margaret Dora Pratt, 4, also born in Hornsey in Middlesex, her widowed daughter-in-law Alberta Melinda Pratt, 32, from Derbyshire, described as a decorator, and Annie Matilda Parkin [?], 22, also from Derbyshire, who was a builder’s clerk. Both Alberta and Annie worked for Arthur Pratt, a decorator in Hornsey in London. This was probably more accurately a reference to the business of Alberta’s late husband, who was called Arthur.

Alfred Grattan’s Blue Boot Stores remained at No. 25 and there are no records for No. 26. Thomas John Connell, jeweller and pawnbroker, still had his shop at No. 27, but George Charles Brett, who still lived on the premises with his family and had previously been a pawnbroker’s assistant, had now been promoted to manager. He and his wife had also had another child, Edna Tiny, 5, who had been born in Hertford.

Advertisement in Simson’s Hertford and Ware Directory, 1920 (credit: Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies)

Opposite Pratt’s fancy goods shop at No. 28, the butcher’s shop, A. B. Stallabrass & Sons, was still at No. 29 in 1921, but since 1915, on the death of Oswald Stallabrass, it had been run by his widow, Annie Bennet Stallabrass, 46, originally from Reading in Berkshire. She now lived on the premises with her six children – Joyce Marianne, 22, Oswald Cecil, 20, a partner in the business, Hubert Victor, 16, assistant butcher, Violet Lily, 14, Frederick Dennis, 11, and Victor, 8. Joyce had been born in Kent, but all the other children were Hertford-born.

Neither census has a record of who lived at No. 30, but the Green Dragon Hotel at No. 31 was still open for business in 1921. Not surprisingly after 10 years, however, the proprietor had changed. Both the 1921 census and Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1922 list Frank Joseph Creese in this role. Aged 42 and originally from Worcestershire, he lived on the premises with his wife Blanche, 55, from London, who carried out ‘home duties’ for the family. They had two sons, who had both been born in Middlesex and now lived with them in Hertford – William, 15, who assisted his father in the business, and Frank Joseph, 13. Also living there was Frank’s brother Thomas, 26, also from Worcestershire, who was a bank clerk at the Bank of Liverpool & Martins Limited in the City of London. There was a boarder there too – Aynsley Sacre [?], 25, from Brentwood in Essex, who was an Army warrant officer based in Hertford. William Edgehington,18, from Hammersmith in Middlesex, was the family’s only servant.

As in 1911, the hotel was still used by various organizations as a meeting place – Kelly’s Directory of Hertfordshire, 1922 specifically mentions that the Hertford & District Master Farriers’ Association had their monthly meetings there on Saturdays.

Finally, there are no entries for No. 32 in either the 1911 or the 1921 census, and no record of the occupant of No. 33 in the 1921 census or any of the other trade directories of the time.