Skip Navigation
 
 

Welcome to Bedford Borough Council

Home > Community Histories > Luton > InterestingbuildingsinLuton > 29 and 31 High Town Road Luton

29 and 31 High Town Road Luton

29 and 31 High Town Road June 2011
29 to 31 High Town Road June 2011

29 and 31 High Town Road has been one shop premises for a hundred years and more. It was a grocer, than a greengrocer, then a chemist before being a food outlet and currently [2011] a wallpaper and paint shop.

The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. Sadly, a detailed inspection of 29 and 31 High Town Road has not survived. Nevertheless, an assessment of the whole of High Town Road [DV1/T38] shows that both premises were owned by William White and occupied by Alfred Ernest Simkins who, directories reveal, was a greengrocer.

Directories for Bedfordshire were published every few years from 1839, for example, the beginning of the 20th century has directories for 1903, 1906, 1910 and 1914. Countywide directories ceased to be published during the Second World War, the last for Bedfordshire being in 1940. Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has directories just for Luton for 1939, 1950, 1960, 1965, 1968, 1972, 1974 and 1975. The first street numbers in High Town Road begin to appear in directories in 1885 but it looks as if there was some renumbering of properties on the odd side of the road between 1890 and 1894.

  • 1890: 29 - George Milan, dairyman; 31 – Jason Cook, shopkeeper;
  • 1910: Francis Edward Norris, grocer;
  • 1914: Bruce Ashton, greengrocer;
  • 1920: William Thomas Sterry, greengrocer;
  • 1924: Alfred Simkins, greengrocer;
  • 1928: Alfred Simkins, greengrocer;
  • 1931: Alfred Simkins, greengrocer;
  • 1939: Duberly & White Limited;
  • 1940: Duberly & White Limited, chemists and druggists;
  • 1950: Duberly & White Limited;
  • 1960: Duberly & White (Wholesale) Limited, wholesale chemists;
  • 1965: Duberly & White (Wholesale) Limited, wholesale chemists;
  • 1968: Duberly & White (Wholesale) Limited, wholesale chemists;
  • 1972: not listed;
  • 1974: Capitol Foods (Vending) Limited;
  • 1975: Capitol Foods (Vending) Limited;
  • 2011: Wallpaper World and Paints.