144-150 - Taylor Redfield Ltd.
Builders Merchants


Picture Charles Taylor established his building supplies business at Redfield in the mid 1920s. Taylor Redfield Ltd, was situated at 144-150 Church Road, between George & Dragon Lane and Barnes Street. 'Taylors' (as it was known locally) became well known in the area for the supply of timber, sand, cement and paint. About 1950 the firm acquired a further parcel of land further along Church Road. This was adjacent to the Black Horse pub and had been the site of old Victorian cottages. Picture This yard was hidden behind a row of large, rectangular advertising hoardings. Access was obtained between the 'last hoarding' and the Black Horse. A large wooden gate was swung across when the yard was closed. The wood supplies and stores were to be found in open shedding backing onto the rear wall, behind which was Derby Street.

Picture In the late 1980s, Taylors vacated this yard and Ashmead Building Supplies Limited used it for a short time.

The entrance next to the Black Horse.

During the early 1990s the advertising hoardings were removed, the shedding pulled down and this area was used to sell second-hand cars.

So it remained until 2007, when work began constructing a three-storey structure of flats and shop units. The Chicken Cottage, chicken restaurant, opened in September 2012 as part of these new premises. In 2008 a new building, also comprising flats and retail units was erected on Taylors original premises at 144-150 Church Road.

David Stephenson remembers: "Taylors was well used by professional and amateur builders. I remember in the 1970s Taylors used the old Rising Sun public house on Church Road to store cement and plasterboard and the like. This recently closed pub was next door to the Black Horse. I recall being taken there by a Taylors employee when getting building supplies. All the external pub signs had been removed, so from the outside it didn't look like a pub. However inside the bar remained in place."

Dave Cheesley recalls: "I used to go to Taylors builders merchants with Dad when he needed materials. To transport them Dad had made a cart. It consisted of two pram wheels, on top of which was a large wooden crate with wooden handles added. Dad would let me push the cart up to Taylors. When we got there he would go in the office and speak to the grey haired man who he seemed to know well. We would then go up to the yard. Different grades of sand would be in massive piles in the yard, which would then be shovelled into hundred weight bags. Cement would already be bagged You could also buy bricks, blocks and timber. Generally it was sand and cement we were getting. With the cart loaded up Dad went back to the office to pay. A bag of cement and two bags of sand were about all we could manage in one load. Dad would then push the cart back home with me keeping the load stable."

Picture
144-150 Church Road in 2005.


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