Brentford Police Station

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Overview

Nation   England

County   Middlesex

Location   60 High Street, Brentford  Brentford

Map location   exact or closely approximate

Year opened   1830

Year closed   1869

Century of Operation   1800-1899

Building Type   Police Station, Dwelling House

Remarks   An 18th century house and business premises before becoming a police station in 1830. Old cells remain in the basement. Building is Grade II* listed, but listing does not mention use as a police station in the 19th century. Police officers lived on premises. More information here http://www.brentfordhistory.com/tag/police-station/

Descriptions

'First Brentford Police Station on the eastern corner of Town Meadow. ‘The building is early C18, with 3 bays’ (E). Prior to its use by the Police, Lawrence Rowe, who ran a local soapworks business, bought this property (complete with its own wharf) in 1799 (Q113). In the 1839/41 tithe return the owner is Thomas & L Rowe and it is described as a ‘house, stable & yard’. ‘On 10th May 1830 the 16th Company of the newly formed Metropolitan Police came into existence when men of Kensington or ‘T’ Division matched into the parishes of Chiswick and Brentford. Station houses were established at Front Street, Old Brentford and Market Place.’(W) In 1841 Inspector Henry Manquard & 5 PCs lived here, two having small families living with them; in 1851 William Brown was the inspector and also living here were 2 sergeants and 3 PCs. Len Cox's great grandfather Charles Cox started working here in 1862. The station moved to number 42 in 1869. By 1901 it was being used as a dairy: Elizabeth Thorp, a widow and dairy keeper, lived here with her daughter (also Elizabeth) and son Thomas, a dairy assistant. Susan Broad, a widow ‘living on own means’ completed the household. The 1909/10 Valuation describes no. 60 as a shop, house & premises with a 21’ 9” frontage, owned by Mrs M A Merriman, c/o Garner & Sons, Solicitors, Hounslow (she is also recorded as the owner of numbers 58 & 59). It had Top floor: 2 large rooms 1st floor: 2 large rooms and a slip room Ground floor: large corner shop; large parlour, kitchen There was a covered passage way, washhouse at extreme rear, WC; 3 store sheds at rear; side gateway entrance; 1 cellar in basement. ‘The shop front projects beyond the main building. Part of side wall used as advertising station. The property is now old and dirty.’ It was valued at £680 and there is a pencil addition ‘Premises were originally a Police Station’. The 1911 census records no. 60 as having six rooms. Elizabeth Thorp was a widow, age 72, occupation ‘dairy stores’ and living with her were her unmarried children, daughter Amy 45 and son Thomas 37. Elizabeth was born in St George’s Borough, the children in St George, Hanover Square. In 1913 Thomas Thorp, the son, was running the dairy. The OS map, revised in 1912 and published in 1915, shows number 60 was a post office at the time - thanks to Jim Sutton for spotting this. He adds that the wall letter box embedded in the front wall of no. 60 is a GR one, which dates it to 1910 to 1936 (it is not marked in the 1915 map but does appear on the OS map published in 1936) . The 1920-1 street directory shows Thomas Thorp was still running a dairy from here; part of the building was occupied by a Telephone Call Centre, but there is no reference to the post office. No. 60 remained in use as a dairy until at least 1964, when it was the ‘Meadow Dairy’, names from trade directories: Thomas Thorp (1926), Joseph Goddard (1928), William Christopher Evered (1933) and Alfred T Andrews (1940). Dave Dean adds ‘my grandmother Emily Humphries, was living at number 60 High St Brentford at the time of her marriage to Thomas Young in Oct 1926’: perhaps there was a flat over the dairy? No. 60 was listed in 1987 (J). It still has the old police cells in the basement (Q39) and in 2003 was a solicitors’ office '

Brentford High Streeet project (http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/section4.shtml)

'Original police station with yard in the front – this is now the area of a single storey office. It’s said that the original cells are still in the basement and there is an interesting set of steps and railings at the back of the building. The police station moved to No 40 High Street in 1869. There are pictures of a dairy on this site with a wall around the yard and the remains of old advertising hoardings that still show above the office on next door wall.'

'Police Station', The History of Brentford: A Timeline of Brentford History (http://www.brentfordhistory.com/tag/police-station/)

'House. Early C18, altered. Brown brick; red brick dressings. Red tiled hipped roof to eaves. 3 storeys. 3 bays wide. C19 extension to front, with pilastered corner entrance and plate glass window. Original front wall nevertheless retained. Square, gauged headed windows, sashed with glazing bars to first floor. C20 windows to second floor. Interior retains original panelling exposed to all rooms except to ground floor front, original fire surrounds; original cornices. Original, open well staircase with turned and twisted balusters (many missing above first floor) and carved tread ends. A remarkably complete survival.'

Historic England, National Heritage List for England, '60, High Street', LEN 1260833

Featured Images

  • Recent use as a solicitors(c) The History of Brentford

SOURCES

    Brentford High Streeet project

  • http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/section4.shtml
  • The History of Brentford: A Timeline of Brentford History

  • http://www.brentfordhistory.com/tag/police-station/
  • Historic England, National Heritage List for England, '60, High Street', LEN 1260833

  • https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1260833

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1 Comment

  1. Jackie Currie

    Hello, I am researching my gt.3 times grandfather Robert Boucher 1780-1854. His son’s wedding cert. of 1844 states that his father Robert was a policeman. An Old Bailey report states that a policeman Robert Boucher gave evidence of a robbery taken place on Brentwood Road, Colnbrook on 5th July 1832. I wonder if Brentford Police Station is where he was based? Can you help? I would be so pleased to know. With kind regards Jackie Currie.

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