The Building of No 16 High Street, Chesham

THERE is no way of telling what sort of a building stood at 16 High Street prior to 1834, although it was probably a pair of two-up, two-down cottages similar to those we can still see today in Church Street.

In 1834 however, what was to become number 16 High Street was bought by Dr Henry Rumsey who wished to build a house for his son Dr Henry Wildbore Rumsey.

His friend the Vicar of Latimer introduced Rumsey to his wife’s nephew - a young architect from Gawcott in North Bucks called George Gilbert Scott who was staying with them, and Scott designed Rumsey a magnificent three storey house for his son.

Sir George Gilbert Scott was to go on to become the most prolific architect of the Victorian age.

He designed numerous churches (including alterations to St. Mary’s Parish Church, Chesham) and public buildings but only a very small number of private houses, so what we have here in Chesham is a rare architectural gem which is now a Grade II listed building.

By 1843, Dr Rumsey Junior had left Chesham and leased number 16 to another doctor – Dr George Faithorn – who lived there until 1851 when he moved to a large house in Germain Street which was where Town Bridge Court is today.

The Clare Family

1851 saw the arrival at number 16 of the Clare family. The head of the household – Daniel Clare – had been born in 1825 and was a local lad. His parents were a farmer named John Clare and his wife Hannah (nee Fenner) who lived at The Grove and who were married in 1824.

At the age of 15 Daniel was apprenticed to a draper in Berkhamsted called Mr Elliman but by the age of 25, he was married and living at number 16 High Street, Chesham with his wife Caroline (nee Simmonds) and his younger brother Richard.

Daniel and Caroline had two children – Frederick born in 1853 and Emily born in 1857. Caroline tragically died in 1863 and in 1864 Daniel married his second wife Martha Bradley.

It was a second marriage for both Martha and Daniel and when she joined the Clare household, Martha brought with her two children from her first marriage – Caroline Bradley born 1856 and Clara Bradley born 1858.

The family lived upstairs in the top two storeys of the house because the ground floor was occupied by Daniel’s very busy draper’s shop. Daniel also opened a wine merchants across the High Street at number 19 and installed his younger brother Richard as the shop manager.

Daniel was an extremely busy man. As well as running his draper’s shop, he was selected as a Churchwarden at St. Mary’s Parish Church in 1862 and ran a business as an undertaker.

In fact, he officiated at a large number of local funerals and was on the Burial Board for the town’s new Cemetery. His shop sold stamps officially on behalf of the Postmaster General and for 48 years he was Secretary of the Chesham Gas & Coke Works as well as serving on the local School Board.

He was also heavily involved with the Chesham Mechanics Institute, an association which met in the Town Hall and which offered opportunities for working class men to better themselves.

He started a small insurance business in partnership with a Mr Dean and the name of Clare & Dean was still well known in the town up until well into the last century.

After a considerable number of years occupying an office in Red Lion Street, the company became Turberville & Dean and then Asprey Harris. Today the business is known as J Bennett & Son who are still offering their services as an insurance broker today in Berkhamsted Road. In addition to all his business responsibilities, Daniel also seems to have been a popular entertainer and was frequently in demand to perform at local concerts.

In 1860, Daniel’s younger brother Thomas who had emigrated to Australia, was killed in a blasting accident when prospecting for gold in the outback.

e was 33 years old. In 1868 it was Daniel’s quick thinking at the Gas Works which prevented one of the gasometers exploding. A fire broke out in the coal store where the fuel for the works was stored and he directed the workers to remove the roof of the building so that water could be poured onto the burning coal before the heat ignited the gas in the gasometer.

After Daniel Clare

Daniel continued living at 16 High Street until his death in 1904, when the business was taken over by his son Frederick who continued to trade until 1920. Fred was a great sportsman. He played a lot of cricket and specialised in being a wicket keeper and was involved as secretary for both cricket and football clubs in the town. He died in 1923.

In 1920, the draper’s shop was taken over by a Mr Wilkins who continued trading until the 1960s and who was responsible for the present day display windows. Part of the upstairs accommodation continued to be lived in and in 1939 the draper’s shop manager – a single man called Robert Lloyd was in residence, the remainder of the upper floors being offices.

In the 1960s the shop became Pearsons Carpets, then the Chesham Homecare Centre for carpets and flooring. During the 1980s, MacKays (M&Co) opened a children’s clothes department and when this moved to the main shop in the Broadway, number 16 became the Sue Ryder Charity Shop with the upstairs still occupied by various offices.

If you stand across the street and look at the upper floors, you can still get a sense of the stylish dwelling that Sir George Gilbert Scott originally designed. Although the door between the shop and the George & Dragon is not original, the fanlight over it most certainly is.

In the corridor behind this door is a stone plaque which reads “HENRY RUMSEY SENR LAID THIS STONE IN HIS SON’S HOUSE AUG 31 1834”