The Goodearl Furniture Factory in West End Road.
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Local History
The factory is covered briefly in items 67 and 68 of the Mendy Street Title Deeds. The Deeds cover five purchases of land. The Parish Tithe Map shows land between Water Lane on the north, Lord Carrington's Westfield on the south, the 'Golden Fleece' on the east and West End Road on the west belonging to Mr. Furness. His house was 71 Water Lane.
In about 1830 a row of 20 terrace cottages was built to the east of West End Road. These were known as Collin's Row.
An invoice from 1896. Courtesy of The Michael Smith Collection.
On 17-2-1872 John Lupton Furness sold a plot of land in the S.W. corner of his property to Thomas Wheeler and Thomas Lucas (brewer). This was later sold to Albert Janes on 15-6-1877. This land was about 83 feet from W to E and 55 feet from N to S. the southern boundary was Westfield and the eastern boundary was 12 feet from the houses in Collin's Row. (The land sold to Mr. Janes may only have been 53 feet from W to E as the western 30 foot strip was a road.)
West End employees. About 1900.
Area 1: The first Goodearl factory on the site consisted of 'chair shops, offices, erections and buildings' behind Denmark Cottages in West End Road (probably 5 to 12 West End Road) and purchased from Mr. Pierce on 30-12-1873. This was then the second Goodearl factory in High Wycombe, the first being in Dove House Road and the third in Mendy Street.
Area 2: On 30-7-1875 two cottages and gardens (probably 5 and 6 West End Road) were purchased from Mr. Pierce. The plot described above originally belonged to Mr. Furness and sold to Albert Janes on 15-6-1877 was sold to the Goodearls in three instalments:
Area 3: (i) The northern part of the plot as far as the east side of the north-south part of West End Road was sold to Benjamin and William Goodearl by Mr. Janes on 2-7-1877. A map of about 1875 shows a School (Boys and Girls) on this site. It is also shown on the 1899 Ordnance Survey map. This area was surveyed in 1874 and revised in 1897 but obviously the word 'school' was not deleted. Presumably the building was used as part of the chair factory.
Area 4: (ii) The southern part was sold by Mr. Janes on 29-9-1882
Area 5: (iii) Mr. Furness sold a 30 foot wide strip to the Goodearls on 2-10-1883. This was the southern section of the north-south part of West End Road and its purchase brought the two isolated factory areas together.
On 5-9-1898 the West End Road factory was transferred to Henry Goodearl and there are no further references in the Mendy Street Deeds.
West End Road. The former factory in the background.
A large housing development being built to the right.
The former West End Road factory from the footpath at the rear,
with the new housing development beyond.
On a quiet Sunday morning... just before setting a dog off.
K.A.Goodearl
Chorleywood
U.K.