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174 Bath Road (formerly part of 5 Clare Cottages)

This was part of Mr Joseph Bellamy’s furniture business from 1855, when these premises had not yet been built but formed a gap in the street frontage, which allowed access to a yard behind the shop that is now Andrews Estate Agents. It was here that the horse drawn furniture wagon was kept. At some time between 1885 and 1903 this gap was filled-in to make the retail shop larger and if you look at these buildings today you will see this quite clearly.

In 1932 the furniture business was taken over by William Steven Trenhaile, a master cabinet maker, who was born in Cornwall. Mr Trenhaile had worked on the construction of wooden aeroplanes for H.H Martyn during the Great War and continued to be employed by the Gloster Aircraft Company through the 1920s. When he moved into the Bath Road shop he started an undertaking business, alongside dealing in second hand furniture. Mr Trenhaile occupied the infill shop only, whilst the original right hand part (which is now Andrews) was given over to Miss Catherine Jones, who sold cooked food and ran a cafe.

William Steven Trenhaile died on 23rd October 1953, after which his son in law Norman Cox continued to run the undertakers. In the late 1950s the infill premises was divided into two, with the right hand side remaining the office for Trenhaile’s and the left hand side becoming Mr Don Browning’s watch making and jewellery shop. Mr Browning was here for about 10 years and later one of his sons had his own watch repair business in Suffolk Street. Butlers, another watchmaker, took over for a while after Mr Browning left the shop.

23rd June, 1970

In 1970 Tom and Sadie Hutchison occupied the left hand shop, trading as Fine Feathers, selling theatrical costumes, make up and fabrics. In the spring of 1979 Fine Feathers moved to 176 Bath Road and Sue Cox, Mr Trenhaile’s granddaughter, opened a card shop here.

Mr Norman Cox retired from the undertaking business in the early 1980s and Mr David A. Davis, who had joined Trenhailes in 1979, bought the business in 1987. In April 1995 he sold it to SC and BS Cocks.

Before the end of the century the left hand shop was let to Leonard Cheshire Homes as a charity shop, whilst Trenhailes continued to occupy the right hand part of the building. In 2008, after 75 years in the Bath Road, W.S. Trenhailes funeral directors moved to the former Holy Apostles School in Charlton Kings, under the ownership of Martyn Cocks. Today both of the shops that were created from the infill building have been reunited and form the Cotswold Care Hospice charity shop.

Cotswold Care Hospice

For more information click here.

The map below shows the gap that was infilled to create these buildings.

Detail from the Old Town Survey 1855-57
Trade Directory, 1957

Researcher: Marilyn West
Update: Stuart Manton (Jan 2014)

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