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Peters family and memories from the 1940s
Arthur Peters of Blandford St Mary, Dorset writes:
My family moved to 272 High Street Brentford in about 1937 from Hill Cottage Strand on the Green.
My father, T.H. Peters, worked as a self employed engineer from a workshop at the rear of No 272, and traded as The Brentford Welding and Engineering Co. He was born in Distillery Road in 1889.
The car in the colour photo of No 272 belonged to my brother Donald Peters, it is an MG, the photo was taken about 1963 after we had moved out, you may have noticed that the fly posters already on the wall for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.
His father and grandfather were also engineers. My early family were living around this area and were possibly brickmakers moving to Cowley Sunbury Richmond Kingston Brentford and Strand on the Green. I have a complete family tree back to 1774.
Approximately 1740 they were living between the Hollows and Smith Hill before the brewery was built. Shortly after they moved to No 272 the old Rothchilds School was demolished and the present clinic was built.
TopMy father was informed that the previous owner had filled in an old well in the garden with old bicycles including penny farthings. (the Dear family were cycle manufacturers at this address in 1901 and 1913, this could explain the penny farthings in the well).
Next door lived Miss Measures and her ginger cat "piccolo", she ran the shop selling ladies lingerie. On the other side was Fullers shoe repairs run by two sisters and their disabled brother. 1940 trade directory show Miss T Buywell, draper at no.271, Miss Measures was the owner) and Herbert Fuller, boot repairer - at no. 273 on the other side of Kings Arms Alley.
The council compulsory purchased these houses on the pretence of widening the road, this was never done and we were not paid the market value. My Father died knowing he was going to lose his house.
Brentford was a fantastic place for me to grow up, but today it has lost its soul.
Published February 2010