42 High Street
This property was researched by John Thurston
An ancient site with medieval cellars discovered in 1964 when the Old Court House* was demolished.
First mentioned in 1664 when the Old Court House (No’s 42-44 High Street) was erected by William Tokelove Gray, and occupied by Gray and Joseph Browne. Both were Aldermen and Wine Merchants. For the next two hundred years the Gray family together with the Brown and Peatling Family ran their Wine Merchants business from No’s 42 -44 in the High Street.
From 1811 – 1851 Brown and Son, then William and Joseph Brown are the Wine Merchants, with Thomas Peatling, Thomas Gibbon Peatling and Thomas Tokelove Gray being the Owners/Wine Merchants from 1851 – 1857.
Census and Trade Directory information from 1841 – 1871 suggests there were also occupiers not involved in the Wine Trade including Mary Ann Smith (trade unknown) in 1841, Susannah Bithrey, Hairdresser , in 1851, John Boyle Haynes, Bootmaker in 1861- 1862, Frederic Hockliffe, Bookseller, in 1864 , Robert Scott , Grocer, in 1869 and George Peregrine Nash, Grocer from 1871 - 1877.
Also from 1866 – 1876 the two Upper Floors of No’s 42 – 44 were the offices of the renowned Architect, John Usher.
Possibly the reason for this confusion was that while Thomas Tokelove Gray/Joseph Brown owned both 42 and 44, the former was being leased to the occupiers mentioned.
The picture becomes clearer in 1876 when a Sale Catalogue suggests that Joseph Brown, one of the original Wine Merchants mentioned above, sells the property almost certainly to George Peregrine Nash.
From 1885 – 1894 Sell and Son, Butchers are in occupation. They are followed by Jane Sell, Butcher, in 1897 and then Sell and Willshaw, Butchers,from 1898 – 1926.
Arthur Edmund Fisher, Butcher, takes over from 1928 – 1963. (N.B.The actual owner from 1929-1954 was Mrs Jane Mayes).
The Old Court House, No’s 42 – 44 High Street, was demolished in 1964 with the new building not occupied until 1969/70 when the Leeds Permanent Building Society are in residence up until at least 1976. The final occupants from at least 2008- 2021 are Debenhams, the site now currently being empty.
* According to bbcdevwebfiles (Heritage Files), the name does not reflect the use of the building.