Pembury History

Retail - Hastings Road

Introduction

The map below indicates the locations of the premises detailed in the main information table.
Each location entry lists the businesses occupying that site.
The lists run in chronological order – latest at the top, and oldest at the bottom.
Dates are given if known to be accurate,  with a ‘c’ if approximate, and  ‘????’  if unknown.
References are given to indicate the origin of the information.
Abbreviations are detailed at the bottom of the page.
Personal contributions are acknowledged by initials and shown in full at the bottom of the page.

..

 

Map Ref Business and Location details.
 20 43 Hastings Road

Blade Runners   Hairdresser   (???? – current)
Pembury in the Past, p15, Mary Standen 1984  reports a hairdresser here.
Winifred Seymour   Ladies & Children’s Outfitters    43 Hastings Road   (WISB  1965) 1959,  1961, 1972, 1974 Kelly’s Dir

 21 47  Hastings Road

Pembury Post Office  (c1935 – 2018)   Moved Feb 2018  to  37 High Street (Newsagents)

Mr & Mrs Patel  2016 –  2018   (Post Office closed at this address)
Sheela & Sunil Kulkarni 2010 – 2016
John & Linda Turnbull   ?? – 2010
R.L.P Diplock   shopkeeper & Post Office   1972, 1974 Kelly’s Dir
Alfred E. Tolhurst   sub-postmaster     1937  Kelly’s Dir
Transfer of PO from 4 High St  around 1935  From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p14
MRD Freezer Stores Ltd   Pembury Post Office  47 Hastings Road    PVN Issue 16  1978
A.B. Hayward     Post Office & Store    Pembury Parish Guide 1966     1961, 1963  Kelly’s Dir
A.B Hayward     shopkeeper & Post Office    47 Hastings Road   1959  Kelly’s Dir 
Alan Hayward    shopkeeper & Post Office    29 Hastings Road   1948 – 55  Kelly’s Dir  –  wrong address at 29?

Prior to 1948 there are several other references to sub-postmasters in Hastings Road, but not specifying a precise address.

1940  Arthur Williams,  sub-postmaster, post office, Hastings Rd.

1937  Alfred Tolhurst,  sub-postmaster,  post office, Hastings Rd.

1934  William Tolhurst,  sub-postmaster,  post office, High St  (Note – not Hastings Road)

1933   No mention of Tolhursts or post office in Hastings Rd.

 22 67 Hastings Road

Pembury Dental Surgery   ( 1959 – current)         ( Entries back to 1970 – MP)
Nelis du Plessis   (2003 – current)
Aiden Dowd  (1995 – 2003)
Robert Jones  (1993 – 1995)
Brian McElhinney  (1989 – 1992)
Ronan Lyden  (1970 – 1989)
??                   1972 – 1970
Reginald Warrener  1959 – 1972  Kelly’s Directory       

Warrener previously at ‘Sheen’ Hastings Road  1933  (but not 1931) to 1948  Kelly’s Dir
According to a history of Tonbridge, Warrener had a surgery in Tonbridge from 1919 to 1965 with branch business at Pembury. For much of this time he was sharing facilities at ‘Sheen’ in Hastings Rd with Dr Dorrit Waterfield. Dr Waterfield later moved to Lower Green Road, and Mr Warrener to this address. It is understood he continued for a few years at Pembury after the closure of the Tonbridge practice.

1961    Warrener Regnld  Dental Surgeon   67 Hastings Road   (Kelly’s 1961)
1959    Warrener at 67 Hastings Rd,            Waterfield at 40 Lower Gn Rd
1955    Warrener not listed,   Watefield at   Kenmore, Lower Gn Rd
1950    Warrener not listed,   Waterfield at   ‘Sheen’  Hastings Rd
1948    Warrener and  Waterfield at   ‘Sheen’  Hastings Rd   from 1933.     Neither listed in 1931.
..           ‘Sheen’ has now been identified as 123/125 Hastings Rd - next to Stanam Rd steps.

..            Dr Raymond Chapman – c1937 – 1948 (Kelly’s) at Mulberry House, Hastings Road.    Location Map
..            Kelly listings for 1937 – 1948 show Dr Chapman at ‘Mulberry’ Hastings Road.   1950 – Sunhill House, High St.
..            

         Kevin Norman  Chiropody  (2008 – current)

 23 75 Hastings Road    AKA  Poppingbury    (Watercolour from 1965 WISB)

Norman Miller –  Dentist surgery   pre-1980    (MP) (MG)
Norman Miller, dentist,  previously at 31 High St   c1960s – 1970s (JS)   (See 31 High St entry).
Mrs Homewood’s Dame school ???    From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p23

 24 87 Hastings Road

King William IV  Public House
See Pembury Pubs page for more detail.

25 89 Hastings Road

Pembury Chinese & Thai Take-Away    (???? – current)
Pembury Stores  89 Hastings Road   Mr & Mrs Shaw  Grocers, Baker         PVN Issue 16  1978
Pembury Stores  89 Hastings Road   HA & RT Chapman  Local Mace Grocer         WISB  1965
R. Smith      Grocer    1970, 1972    Kelly’s Dir
A. Padbury   Grocer    1974    Kelly’s Dir
Chapman     Grocer    1965    Kelly’s Dir
F.J. Kates      Grocer    1961    Kelly’s Dir
R.R. Mains   confectioner   89 Hastings Rd    1959  Kelly’s Dir
H.E. Nash   Confectioner (sweet shop?)  Hastings Rd  1934, 1940 Kelly’s Dir  Harry Nash 1927, 1937, 1948, 1950  (JH)
Henry Nash, confectioner, Hastings Road    1924  Kelly’s Dir

26 101 Hastings Road

Asia Lounge   Indian Restaurant & Take-Away   (???? – current)
Mr Seymour, Grocer  (????)   PVN Issues 84/85  1995 – Pembury Library
Harpers   Grocer  101 Hastings Road    (1966)   ‘Your local APT grocer’       Pembury Parish Guide 1966  
Harpers   Grocer  101 Hastings Road      1959, 1961, 1965, 1974  Kelly’s Directory
Arthur Percy Tapp     Grocer     Hastings Rd   1934, 1937, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1955  Kelly’s Dir    (location confirmed by JH)
….The listings for Tapp did not specify an address, but an association has been made via Richard Snow’s articles
….on Pembury’s war heroes (PVN 156 page 32).
….The death of Clifford George Tapp describes the family shop on the corner of Hastings Rd & Canterbury Rd.

27 115 Hastings Road

Harold Brookes     Dairyman   1961, 1963, 1970,  1974  Kelly’s Dir
Samuel Edward Brookes     Dairyman   1938, 1940, 1950, 1955  Kelly’s Dir

A & J Bennett   Dairyman   1922 – 1936  (LB)      1934, 1937  Kelly’s Dir

28 In the vicinity of   34 – 44 Hastings Road – Salvadori Court

Pembury Car Sales – Ford Agent     1971    (DG)
Pembury Car Sales – Ford Agent  34 Hastings Road  1963, 1965, 1972  Kelly’s Directory     1969-70 Kent Trade Guide

Owen Seymour’s Bakery    1950s Garage & Bakery working alongside each other.
From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p21

Pembury Garage   Hastings Rd   1937  Kelly’s Dir

Pembury Garage    (c1928)        From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p22                                                                                                                    c1928 Described as being “almost opposite the Wesleyan Chapel”
From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p21  c1904
Shows site prior to garage.  Same gabled house in both pictures.

The forecourt had AA sign, and shows the sale of Pratt’s Petrol and Power Petrol (Power Petroleum Ltd)  –

two competing brands.
Pratts Petrol – 1895 – 1935 in the UK – later branded as Esso.
Power Petrol – 1922 – 1924  Taken over in 1924 by Medway Oil & Storage.   http://www.vintagegarage.co.uk

Frederick Rendell – Motor Car Engineer,  Hastings Rd.  Listed in Kelly’s Dir from 1914 to 1950
No positive link to this garage.  No specified road number.  Associated with High St. Cycle Shop, see High St. Item 44

Owen Seymour   Junior bakers, Hastings Rd – unspecified location    (Kelly’s Directory  1916)
Owen Seymour & Sons, bakers – unspecified location    (Kelly’s Directory  1903)
Seymour Brothers,  Bakers, Hastings Rd – unspecified location    (Kelly’s Directory  1898)
Gerald Adams,  Bakers, Hastings Rd  – unspecified location    (Kelly’s Directory 1937,  1938) 
Arthur Draper,  Bakers, Hastings Rd  – unspecified location    (Kelly’s Directory  1934)

29 34 Henwood Green Road

Sturgeon’s     Coal Merchants    (c1940 – current)
G.S. Sturgeon  coal & coke merchant  Henwood’s Green  1940, 1950  Kelly’s Dir
G.S. Sturgeon  coal & coke merchant  Henwood Green  1955  Kelly’s Dir    (Note spelling change in address)

   See the Localities tab / Henwood Green Road page for more on the Sturgeons business.

30
31 127 Hastings Road.     Woodpecker Court in 2013

Tunbridge Wells and District Wholesale Grocers   c1960s – 1970s  (JS) (BR)

Ceeko Ltd  Wholesale grocer   127 Hastings Rd       1974   Kelly’s Directory
Members Wholesale Grocers Ltd    1965   Kelly’s Directory
Sussex Canners   127 Hastings Rd     1961   Kelly’s Directory
..  No Kelly listing 1959
F.K.G. Fareham (Kent Hams) Ltd   Canners  Hastings Rd.    Kelly’s Dir 1955
Draycon & Co Ltd  1948, 1950  Kelly’s Dir.   Listed as “who. mers.”  – wholesale merchants.
..    Remembered by JH from 1946 to  to late 1950s

Hayward Brothers Garage    1937, 1938, 1940   Kelly’s Dir    No further entries 1948
AKA   The Tunbridge Wells Victor Motor Transport Company     Golden Age of Buses  p132  C.F. Klapper
AKA   The Victor Motor Transport Company
Victor Motor Transport Company (Tunbridge Wells Ltd)   1934  Kelly’s Dir
Victor Service Station   1934  Kelly’s Dir
Owner and operated by Victor & Gordon Hayward.      Hayward Brothers 1937, 1940  Kelly’s Dir

Victor Bus Company   127 Hastings Road   (c1930)        From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p26
AKA   The Victor Bus Sevice     From Mary Standen’s  Pembury in the Past  p11

Photo on p11 of Mary Standen’s Pembury in the Past shows a sign with the above name at a Booking Office – maybe                Tunbridge Wells.

Photo on p26 (Old Picture Postcards) shows the garage next to a large distinctive house that stands at 123 Hastings Rd.
This is identified by gable design & window layout.
The houses to the right of the garage (129 Hastings Road) are still identifiable in 2013 from the beam pattern of their gables.
Orientation of this photo has Canterbury Road out of shot to the left and Bo Peep Corner in the distance on the right.
The field from which this photo was taken is unchanged in 2013 and the view from the public footpath is very  similar.
Houses in the distance must be those in Henwood Green Road.
The Victor Motor Transport Company sold to Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd  April 1935
Commercial Motor Archive web site
The Tunbridge Wells Victor Motor Transport Company closure as reported by  The London Gazette p3954  18 June 1935
Garage site in 2013 is a large block of flats –  Woodpecker Court -127 Hastings Road.

 

(31) 123/125  Hastings Road      Sheen

Doctor and Dental Surgery of Dorit Waterhouse and Reginald Warrener.
See Item 22 - 67 Hastings Rd for details.          

32 153  Hastings Road      Bo-Peep Stores       From Mary Standen’s  Old Picture Postcards  p27

Picture   identifies the building by its distinctive twin chimney pots
Picture  c1910 – 1950   date unknown – donated by Mark Lawrence.
Picture  c2015 no longer a shop.  Google Street View.

Bo Peep Stores    (Pat & Bob Wakeling)  153 Hastings Rd    PVN Issue 16  1978
Croucher   grocer       153 Hastings Rd     1965, , 1968, 1974  Kelly’s Dir
BoPeep Stores           153 Hastings Rd      1970  Kelly’s Dir
Mrs Richards  shopkeeper  153 Hastings Rd    1963   Kelly’s Dir
Mrs D.I. Stevens  shopkeeper  153 Hastings Rd    1961   Kelly’s Dir   
G. Stevens  shopkeeper  153 Hastings Rd    1959   Kelly’s Dir  
No further record between 1919 – 1959
Mrs Tester  shopkeeper     Bopeep 1916, 1919     Kelly’s Dir        Did not specify the address as 153 Hastings Road
Henry Tester  shopkeeper  Bopeep  1899, 1903, 1904, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914   Kelly’s Dir

33 Site of Highfield House, possibly  Highfield, 31 Hastings Road  ??    (WISB 1965)

Waterloo Inn    Public House
There is a reference to Highfield House being demolished in the PVN No 84  – 1995
See Pembury Pubs for more details.

Used by Baggesens as a nursery?      H. Baggesen Jnr   Highfield Nursury, Hastings Rd   1950, 1959  Kelly’s Dir

34  26 Hastings Road

M. Waghorne   Fishmonger   Fresh fish shop  (1965  WISB)   (BR) (MG)   1950, 1955, 1965, 1970, 1974   Kelly’s Dir
Marshall F. Waghorne     26 Hastings Rd   1959          Kelly’s Private Residents directory
Kelly’s Directory of 1950 also lists Waghorne at High St and Lower Green Rd.
Waghorne operated from a garage behind his house in Hastings Rd having fetched the fresh fish from Hastings  (SS)

 35  30 Hastings Road

The Antique Shop   G.R. Wimsett   1965  (WISB 1965)  (JD)   1985 (DG) (TK)     1955, 1963, 1970, 1972, 1974 Kelly’s Dir
Miss E. Stedman     Ladies’ Outfitter  30 Hastings Rd   1938     Kelly’s Directory
Miss E. Stedman     draper                    Hastings Rd   1937,  1948   Kelly’s Dir

  36  45 Hastings Road

Maid Marion Store   Grocer & Greengrocer    1978  (PVN No 16)       (MG)
Advertisement claims ‘under new ownership’ indicating earlier business activity.

37  2 Hastings Road   (The house known as Postillions, Church House, Manchester House, etc)

General Grocer & Draper from c1840 to c1904
Alfred Thompsett  c1840 – c1865    (Thompsett may well have been there prior to 1840)
James Guest  c1867 – c1889
Alfred Chapman  c1901 – c1906  (Chapman died in 1906)
Mrs Chapman   1907    No further records of a shop here.


 

xx 56  Hastings Road    (Not a retail shop, but a mail order company)

Burgess & Co  Philatelists   56 Hastings Rd   1959, 1961, 1968 Kelly’s Dir
See the People page for Edward Gilbert’s article on Harry Burgess.



 Unresolved shopkeepers – help needed

.    . Miss C.H. Andrews  Vermont  private school   Hastings Rd    1937  Kelly’s
..     Arthur Albery   shopkeeper   Hastings Rd    1911  Kelly’s
..     Baggesen’s Nurseries (1936) Ltd    Hastings Rd   1937, 1940, 1950  Kelly’s Dir
..     H. Baggesen Jnr   Highfield Nursury, Hastings Rd   1950, 1959  Kelly’s Dir
..     Wm, Barnett     greengrocer  36 Canterbury Road    1911   Kelly’s Dir
..     Brecknock Motors     Hastings Rd   1940 – 1974  Kelly’s Dir..    
..     G. Canning     Grocer     Hastings Rd   1950, 1955  Kelly’s Dir
.    . William Easton  grocer  Hastings Rd     1911   Kelly’s Dir
.    . Ralph Lewis Gazeley   Baker  Hastings Rd      1927   Kelly’s Dir.
..     Josiah Hoadley   butcher Canterbury Road    1911   Kelly’s Dir
..     Mrs H. Huggett      laundry  Bopeep     1916, 1919   Kelly’s Dir
..     Pembury Market Garden  (W.E. Greatrex)  Hastings Rd   1950   Kelly’s Dir    ( 127 Hastings Rd ? )
..     Miss Lily M. Price  shopkeeper (general stores)   Hastings Road   1934, 1938, 1940, 1948  Kelly’s Dir
..     Eli Price    Taylor  Harriett Villas  Hastings Rd    1916, 1919, 1924    Kelly’s Dir     later at High St.
..     Miss E.E. Robbins  Preparatory School,  Rosemott,  Hastings Road   1940  Kelly’s Dir
..     Walter Searly   grocer,  Hastings Rd,   1924  Kelly’s Dir
.      Ernest Seymour  greengrocer,     Mrs Grace Seymour grocer,   Hastings Rd    1916, 1919    Kelly’s Dir
.      Edgar Rivett Walker   draper,   Hastings Rd    1916, 1919   Kelly’s Dir  
..     Woodsgate Service Station   Hastings Road   1940  Kelly’s Dir   (wrong address ?)
..     John Young,  shopkeeper, Canterbury Road    1914, 1916, 1919  Kelly’s Dir
..     F.R. Young   Baker,  Hastings Rd.    1924  Kelly’s Dir

 

           Early Telephone Numbers

..         The Shops Introduction and Reference Page carries a list of known telephone numbers of Pembury shops.
..         Where a business has changed name, sometimes the telephone number did not.
..         This may give a clue to continuity of trade at a given address, when the the full address is not obvious.


Link to High Street page

Link to Lower Green Page

Link to Pembury Pubs page


Abbreviations used for data sources and contributors:

PVN        Pembury Village News –  quarterly journal
PVWS     Pembury Village Web Site        www.pembury.org
WISB      Pembury Women’s Institute Scrap Book 1965
TN          Tony Nicholls
SM         Steve Morton
JC          James Cunningham
HB          Hugh Boorman
BR          Barbara Russell
MP          Michelle Pierce
RS          Rob Sargent
MG         Maggie Godley
MC         Michele Coldwell
JD          Janet Ditchett
JS          Jack Stead
DG         Derek Goodwin
TK          Terry Killick
JH          Jill Hickmott
SS          Sylvia Schmocker
LB          Laura Brookes


IMPORTANT !!!     This needs your help.  All contributions will be credited.
If you have any further information or corrections please contact me –
Tony Nicholls      email:   pemburyhistory@gmail.com

Compiled by Tony Nicholls


Retail - Hastings Road
                     
Pembury History
                     




IMPORTANT !!!     This needs your help.  All contributions will be credited.  If you have any further information or corrections please contact me –
Tony Nicholls      email:     pemburyhistory@gmail.com