Here we see the same building over the course of about 100 years.
This first photo is about 100 years old and shows a saddlers near the end of the High Street (at its junction with London Road). The building looks as though it might have been built as a dwelling and converted to trade premises. Apparently such conversions were fairly common, though the single window upstairs here might suggest that perhaps this was not a semi-detached house.
The building dates to at least 1881 for Steve Dale writes that the census of that year lists his great great grandparents, Tom and Caroline Cox, as residing at 12 High Street though the census data gives no clue as to the property being anything other than a domestic residence.. 7001.107
The second photo shows the building in about 1946 when it was the Central Garage. Note the petrol pumps outside and the double doors of a workshop at the side where the two gentlemen in aprons are standing in the older picture.
This picture has been kindly supplied by Ken, a former Bagshot
resident and occupier of the premises, now living in Canada. Ken writes:
Central House used to be a Petrol Station and engineering works that my father ran during the time we lived there. I believe the number of Central House was 12 High Street. If you stand with your back to the A30 in the middle of the parking lot you should be facing the house. My brother went out with the daughter of the fellow who owned the Hero of Incaman, it was raunchy even then. The Fighting Cocks car park was the launching pad for the local bikers, who would scream up Jenkins hill, turn around at the Jolly Farmer (maybe not around now), and do a 100 miles an hour back to the car park. My dad knew the farmers (the Martins, and later the Drenens) where Prince Edward lives now, and we had free run of that entire place anytime, in fact I remember herding the cows to and from their milking, and walking and riding up to Rapley Lake on many a sunny day. #213 Roy Draper write: I remember Central Garage very well as one of my older brothers (Michael, recently deceased) worked for Kenny Wells' father, and on many visits to see Michael the Wells family always had a few friendly words to say to me. ref 621.0106 Can you add anything more? Were you one of the bikers? Reply below. |
Peter Malynn writes: "No I was not one of the bikers, but a did manage to get rides with older guys e.g. Donald Hull and Bob Evans and a few others. Ken may remember working for the Drenans with myself and Jim Rickwood one summer".
The final picture is a panorama taken in 2002 and viewed from the middle of London Road (Bagshot Bypass). The one-time Central Garage is the yellow painted building in the centre. Some time between 1946 and 1973 it was modified by removing the bay window and adding an extension on the right hand side. Inspection of the brickwork reveals clear signs of lintels over the bay window and the shop front opening, of the bricking up of these apertures, and where the extension joins. The property is now called Chamberlain House and is used as offices. location
The other buildings seen in the panorama are, from the left, the Fighting Cocks public house, a relatively recent office block in the distance, a semi detached dwelling, Chamberlain House, two more dwellings with a rather unusual roof line, a dwelling known as Cedars Cottage, and almost hidden behind the cedar tree the property known as The Cedars. Once a family home, it is now used as offices.
For those interested in such details, the panorama was constructed by merging four separate photos.
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