How many number ones does a High Street need?
In 2016 Isosceles Finance demolished the former Egham Police Station, on the corner of High Street and Vicarage Road, to build a smart new headquarters. As a memorable name for the site of their new offices and 16 luxury apartments they chose ‘One High Street’.
Some confused visitors to the Museum have come in and queried whether this has always been 1, The High Street. And of course, it has not. But how many number 1s are there in the High Street and why so many?
The modern British high street developed in the 1860s and 1870s but most of them have been renumbered on several occasions as new retail units have been developed, often to replace those damaged by fire or bomb damage.
Local rate book records indicate that Egham High Street has been numbered from 1 to 198 at least since the 1850s.
The original numbers 1-4 were demolished in 1935 for the widening of the A30 and Egham By-pass and now lie beneath the road in front of Prezzo (which in 1935 was still the Eclipse public house). The numbers continued down the north side of the High Street to No. 120 where it became The Avenue. No. 120 is now the site of Runnymede Court flats.
The numbering crossed over to the south side of the High Street at No. 121, now part of the Albany Place development. Some of the houses and cottages from 121-131 used names rather than numbers: older residents may still recall Hope Cottage, Gaelic Cottage (The Nook), Haven Cottage and Ypsilanti. These led up to the police station at number 132, previously Denham Place, on the corner with Vicarage Road.
In 1928 a new fire station was built across the road from the police station: this building seems never to have had a number because next to it is the Egham & District Social Club Ltd, number 132a! The numbering then proceeded right up to Egham Hill and ended at 198/199. Egham rate books show two entries for number 198 High Street but they comprised separate parts as a house, workshop and yard: No. 199 is now separated from 198 by Milton Road.
So far, so clear. No. 1 was close to modern-day Prezzo and the old police station was 132.
But there are other premises in the High Street which have been given the number 1. When The Precinct was built in 1967 to replace numbers140-156 High Street, it was completely renumbered from 1-41. No. 1 is GK’s Barbers.
In its turn No. 41 The Precinct, formerly a branch of Tesco, was demolished in the early 2000s and replaced by a set of retail units named Tudor Court, 157-158 High Street. No. 1 Tudor Court is M & Co.
Over on the north side, The White House (once site of The Nag’s Head) at 53-55 High Street was refurbished between 1987 and 1988 to create three shops. The recently closed Little Things Coffee Shop was No. 1a and Egham Essentials is 1b.
Further along, the address of Gregg’s is Unit 1, 64-65 High Street.
This gives us no fewer than 5 places claiming the number one. Add to this the fact that each new block of flats in the High Street must have its own Number 1 and we have to wonder how the Post Office copes!
Margaret C Stewart