8 High Town Road Luton
8 and 10 High Town Road June 2011
In the first part of the 20th century 8 High town Road was a greengrocer's shop. At the time of writing it is a newsagent's.
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 8 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 Walter Garside, who ran a drapery business at 20 High Town Road, and occupied by Albert Timms who, directories reveal, ran a greengrocer’s business at the property. A Zebulun or Zebulon Timms had been a grocer in High Town Road from at least 1890 to at least 1924, first at 68 High Town Road then at 25 High Town Road; he may have been a relation.
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: James Swindell, wardrobe dealer;
- 1890: James Swindell, wardrobe dealer; Mrs. Elizabeth Tomalin, trousers cleaner;
- 1894: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1898: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1903: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1906: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1910: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1914: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1920: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1924: John Martin, greengrocer;
- 1928: Albert Timms, greengrocer;
- 1931: Albert Timms, greengrocer;
- 1936: Albert Timms, greengrocer;
- 1939: Albert Timms;
- 1940: Albert Timms, greengrocer;
- 1950: Bert Timms;
- 1960: D. Blackabey, shopkeeper;
- 1965: E. Russell, toy dealer;
- 1968: HighTown Toys;
- 1972: What-Not-Shoppe, secondhand goods dealers;
- 1974: What-Not-Shoppe, secondhand goods dealers;
- 1975: What-Not-Shoppe, secondhand goods dealers;
- 2011: Hightown News, newsagents.