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From Pump Alley to Dock Road, numbers 70 - 78 High Street, Old Brentford

Pump Alley lay between numbers 69 & 70 when the High Street was numbered in 1876. In the tithe return, the house to the west of Pump Alley (70) is described as a large house & garden, owned by Charity Neads, Trustees of Parish Officers of Ealing and occupied by William Bond. On the plan it appears to be two properties with a shared garden behind , so it could have become numbers 70 & 71. I have used the Gomm family to tie down this area, as they lived here in (hopefully the same!) property, number 72, from 1839 – 1881.

Properties

Notes prepared for numbers 70, 71, 72 , 73-75, Montgomrey's Timber Yard, 77, 78; also a list of photos, ephemera and maps

Number 70

By 1901 George Brooks, aged 51 and born Limehouse London was living here with his family of 9 children and a lodger. His descendant, Patricia Whelan, says ‘My paternal grandfather, George Henry Brooks, moved with his family to Brentford from Camberwell in 1880. By the time he married my Grandmother, according to their marriage certificate, he was living with his family at no. 70 High Street, Brentford. That was in 1902. My mum was born in 1911, the fourth child of eight, in Old Spring Gardens, just across the road from the High Street.

My Grandparents lived at the same address until my nan died in the early 1950's. I was born in 1955, so sadly, I never knew her. I loved my Grandad, he passed away in 1962. Grandad's name was George Henry Brooks, his father was George Walker/Walter Brooks.’

Number 70 is described as a 'semi-detached double-fronted house' with a 'large yard' and a 'few dilapidated sheds and a stable' at the rear in the 1909/10 Valuation Records. 'This is very old property'. It had a frontage to the High Street of 29' 3" and was owned by Messrs Fuller Smith & Turner of Chiswick. However 13 trustees of Taylor's Charity are listed as having a 'superior interest'.

See Photos/Ephemera/Maps for a link to a 1945/6 photo of this property.

Number 71

Number 72

In 1861 widowed Evans Ann Gomm was running the beer house. By 1871 Thomas Gomm, her son, was running a cheesemongers here, in 1881 John Gomm a grocers. In 1891 and 1901 this property was not inhabited and it is not listed in the 1913 or later directories.

Number 73-75

Wendy Scott’s ancestor Richard Neighbour, a chimney sweep, lived at no. 74 in 1901: see Wendy’s notes about the Neighbour family.

Montgomreys Timber Yard

James Montgomrey died in 1841 leaving a PCC will and it was his son James who lived here in 1851, heading a household of 13 with his occupation given as ‘Justice of the Peace & timber merchant’. See more about the Montgomery family tree, in the Dynasties section.

In 1913 – 1928 Water Softeners Ltd. are listed in trade directories at no. 76.

Number 77

Numbers 77 and 78 were evaluated together in the 1909/10 Valuation: they had a huge High Street frontage: 394’ 9” and the whole site was described as a ‘house & premises, saw mills, buildings and wharf’. The description refers to 14 buldings in all:

1. Substantial brick built building containing 3 large rooms, lav basin WC. Large store room over
2. Large substantial open storage shed – recently repaired and closed in
3. Large shed
4. Open shed
5. Large open shed with large loft over. Very fair repair.
6. Open shed with large loft over
7. Large open store shed – open 2 ends – brick built – slate roof. Part of the ground is excavated to form water basin
8. Engine house – now disused & very dilapidated – only the outer walls standing. Boiler house with chimney stack. Loft in boiler house.
9. 2 very dilapidated disused storage sheds with water duct – no slates on roof
10. Large building with loft over – recently repaired & now used for machinery
11. Large store building with large loft over. Part of gr(oun)d fl(oor) open
12. Old store shed
13. as 12
14. Known as 78 High St. Residence containing on the top fl(oor) 3 attics; 1st fl 5 rooms bathroom; grd fl Large (?) hall, dining room, (?) drawing room, servants (?) 1 room, (?) (scullery ? larder newly erected) ……….. conservatory; back elevn wants pointing otherwise in very good repair

The gross valuation was £13,600.

Pharos Marine (aka Gas Accumulator Co) were at no 77 from 1913 - 1998 (Q114)

See Photos/Ephemera/Maps for a link to a 1945/6 photo of this property.

Number 78

See no. 77 for details of the Valuation for numbers 77 & 78 in 1909/10.

Brentside House, 78 High Street, was lent for the accommodation of 12 refugees during WW1 (Q128)

See Photos/Ephemera/Maps for a link to a 1945/6 photo of this property.

Photos/Ephemera/Maps

Roads Off