Rushden Research Group: Some lost buildings

Some Lost Buildings

Stonehurst - The Belgian House - Wheeler's

Page outfitters and two cottages and the rear view as they are demolished in the mid 1960s

These buildings between the Railway Inn and the old Sanders and Sanders factory were demolished in the mid 1960s. Stonehurst became known as the Belgian House when it was a hostel for Belgian refugees in WWI.

In 2000 BMW windows and Kwik Save supermarket were on this plot, but now in 2009 BMW have left Rushden and T J Hughes have taken over the supermarket store. The Railway Inn has had several names over the last decade and is currently called Lounge One, and the factory is now the Co-op Funeral Service. This is the only Co-op in town today.


Ground being cleared for Budgen's supermarket in the late 1960s. This is taken in Rectory Road at the top of Coffee Tavern Lane, and the central building is the Co-op Hall, the flat roof to the right is the Co-op Offices, both have now gone.	The same plot looking from George Street corner. The large tall factory was originally Dentons and was taken over by Stanley Hunt (printers), who then took the old British United Shoe Machinery building in Midland road. The other tall building is the Nat West Bank.
Afterwards Budgen's built a new store on the site of Eaton's & Tarry's shoe factories in College Street (now Wilkinsons) and the Co-op took over the High Street store, but the Co-op closed down. It is now Argos catalogue store. (2009)
click here for photographs of the demolition of Eaton's/Tarry's - College Street Factory site then click Run to view the album Please note that because of the limitations of the software package used, it will at present only display on-line in Internet Explorer, other browsers will download the file to run locally

The Cottages on the left of the lane are "Home Close" where Samuel Knight once lived, close to the Sydney brook, now the site of the Scout Headquarters.

The gates are across the lane leading up to Rushden Hall and the stone wall surrounding the grounds to the Hall.

The buildings by the gates are the outhouses to Skinner's farm and one was the slaughter house, where the animals were butchered for the shop.

Home Close & Skinner's farm outbuildings

Skinner's farm oubuildings and the gate across the lane to the Hall

View from where Thrift Cottages had been

Duck Street looking towards the church, the cottages on the right were replaced by flats and the new entrance into the car park. Across the road (centre) is the tanner of Fred Corby, the tall building on the horizon behind the factory being the National Westminster Bank built by Robert Marriott in 1890.

Photos (left and below) by Michael Martin

(right) Thrift Cottages being demolished in the 1960s to create the Duck Street car park. Photo above taken from here looking across the area that is now Alfred Street School recreation area, and the John Street car park. The building at the top of the picture was William Lockie's workshop and is still standing in 2011 behind a property in Fitzwilliam Street. He was a tin smith and had previously worked at Ebenezer Terrace.

Far right : Thrift Cottages taken from Fitzwilliam Street corner with Wellingborough road. The Mole family lived at No 1 in 1901.