Farmers Direct
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Founded as a partnership between a Battle farmer and a WW1 veteran in 1919, Farmers Direct dairy first opened their premises at 8 Claremont in April of 1919[1]. The company would appear to have been incorporated in 1946 with offices above their Claremont[2] shop. This was followed five years later by another shop at 41a Robertson Street, it also being mentioned in the newspaper that Clifford Smith junior was studying at the British Dairy Research department of Reading University[3].
The bottling plant in Battle Road was previously the premises of the timber merchants Ellis Brothers (Hastings) Ltd, Ellis Brothers having sold the property on the 8th of Februrary, 1946. for £3,500 to Claude Santer Frowd, Frederick Clifford Smith, and Lewis Harold Pyke, who were trading as Frowds and Farmers Direct Supply Dairies. On 17 April 1947, they reached a drainage agreement with neighboring property owners Henry King and Feist Limited. In 1948, a portion of the land was acquired through compulsory purchase for the construction of an electricity substation. Plans associated with the agreements indicate the presence of an air raid shelter on the site. Between 1948 and 1965, various improvements and new buildings were erected on the site. In 1974, the title of Farmers Direct Dairies (Hastings) Limited was registered, and on 9 June 1976, the company purchased a portion of the substation from the South Eastern Electricity Board for £150, with the title registered as HT15394[4].
Taking over the The Royal Dairy at 40 London Road, they also acquired the customer list of Chapman's Dairy and had a number of other premises around the town.
1961 saw the addition of a milk vending machine[5], followed four years later by a new shop front in 1965[2]). In the same year, they opened a bottling plant and depot for their milk floats in Battle Road[4].
The dairy was taken over by Sussex Dairies during the 1980s who closed the bottling plant.
By 1982, the Battle Road site had come under the ownership of Ewart Mumford Ashby and Valerie Ann Ashby of Storrington. Along with Brombard Trustees Limited, they leased the property to Sussex Dairies Limited of 96 Southview Road, Southwick, at an annual rent of £20,000 on 20 December 1985. The lease was later surrendered on 10 August 1992[4][6].
Images[edit]
- Images
Hastings Carnival 1923 09
Farmers Direct Shopfront 8 Claremont 1965
References & Notes
- ↑ British Newspaper Archive Hastings & St. Leonards Observer 19 April 1919 Pg. 0005
- ↑ a b Hastings Borough Council Planning application ref HS/65/00381
- ↑ British Newspaper Archive Hastings & St. Leonards Observer 15 March 1924 Pg. 0007
- ↑ a b c East Sussex County Council Archive The Keep 9658/19/18/1
- ↑ Hastings Borough Council Planning application ref HS/61/00694
- ↑ Young Coles and Langdon archives
