20 and 22 High Town Road were, for the early part of their histoy, two different properties. Luton Industrial Co-operative Society were owners by the mid 1920s and used Number 22 as a butchery department whilst Number 20 was let to a draper. By the outbreak of World War Two, however, both shops were part of the Co-op and have remained in the same use ever since, albeit with private accommodation upstairs. At the time of writing [2011] the property is owned by Luton Borough Council which uses it as a youth centre.

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 20 High Town Road has not survived. Nevertheless, an assessment of the whole of High Town Road [DV1/T38] shows that the premises was owned by Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited and leased to draper Walter Garside who himself owned 8 and 10 High Town Road. 22 High Town Road [DV1/R59/42] was owned and occupied by Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, which also had premises at 70, 75 and 77 High Town Road as well as many other parts of the town.

There were two cellars measuring, respectively, 18 feet by 17 feet and 15 feet by 10 feet. A cold store in one of the cellars measured 10 feet square. A shop lay on the ground floor measuring 21 feet by 20 feet and selling meat. A ground floor cold store measured 11 feet by 15 feet. On the ground floor at the back lay rooms as follows: a lavatory measuring 6 feet by 4 feet; a sausage factory measuring 10 feet by 5 feet; a boiler room measuring 10 feet by 5 feet; a gutting room measuring 10 feet by 5 feet 6 inches; ten cattle pens measuring in total 36 feet by 17 feet; a slaughterhouse measuring 13 feet by 24 feet; a cooling room measuring 13 feet by 25 feet; a boiling room measuring 9 feet by 13 feet and a factory measuring 35 feet by 14 feet. The premises had a nine horsepower motor and a two horsepower motor.

A later visit [DV1/AP3/8] noted that the number of animals killed per week for this shop (which sold sausages and cooked meat) was eight pigs, six sheep, one calf and three older cattle. The total weekly kill for Redrup & Starkings, which had seven butchers’ shops in total, including at Watford [Hertfordshire] was: 55 pigs, 49 sheep, 1 calf and 18 older cattle. The valuer commented: “I say primarily industrial” indicating that 22 High Town Road served as the abattoir for the group of shops.

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has a Borough of Luton Public Health Department Shops Act 1934 Section 10 inspection book [BorL/EH/14/1]. This book reveals that on 17th November 1936  both shops were occupied by the Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited. Ventilation was by a grille and fanlights. The shops were unheated but the cashier’s office had an electric radiator. A men’s toilet stood in the yard the women’s being inside. Natural lighting was very good but the premises were also lighted by electricity. Dinner and tea were taken off the premises though occasionally tea was taken in a messroom which lay at the first floor rear of Number 20 and had an open fireplace “but there was no fire at the time of visit”. At the time staff comprised eight men, two women and four boys under eighteen.

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.

• 1885: 20 - William James Brightman, provision dealer; 22 - Daniel Brightman, straw hat tip and lining manufacturer;
• 1890: 20 - William James Brightman, provision dealer;
• 1894: 20 - William James Brightman, provision dealer;
• 1898: 20 - William James Brightman, provision dealer;
• 1903: 22 - Aubrey Wren Goldhawk, butcher and grocer;
• 1906: 20 - Walter Garside, draper; 22 - Aubrey Wren Goldhawk, butcher and grocer;
• 1910: 20 - Walter Garside, draper; 22 - Aubrey Wren Goldhawk, butcher and grocer;
• 1914: 20 - Walter Garside, draper; 22 - Aubrey Wren Goldhawk, butcher and grocer;
• 1920: 20 - Walter Garside, draper; 22- Aubrey Wren Goldhawk, butcher and grocer;
• 1924: Walter Garside, draper; 22 - Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited;
• 1928: Walter Garside, draper; 22 - Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited;
• 1939: Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited;
• 1950: Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited;
• 1960: Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, butchery department; 22a – George T. Denney;
• 1965: Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, butchery department; 22a – George T. Denney;
• 1968: Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, butchery department; 22a – George T. Denney;
• 1972: 22a – A. M. Denney;
• 1974: Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, cooked meat factory;
• 1975: vacant;
• 2011: Welbeck Youth Centre.