Kew Bridge development

If the 19th century was a period of growth and use the first half of the 20th was a period of decline. Thomas Layton died in September 1911 leaving the house entailed to his nephew Thomas Fullard. He died soon after, in December 1911, leaving the rights to his wife. She eventually sold the house to the Royal Brewery and it was demolished in the mid 1920s.

Jupp's malthouse was demolished by 1915 when the company moved its malting business to Ware. At that time the Oxford and Cambridge pub was still in use. But sometime before 1935 that was also demolished leaving just the large Victorian boathouse on the river's edge. It is possible the site was cleared as part of a grand plan for the redevelopment of Brentford into a garden city.

The boathouse was used by the Horseferry Rowing Club, exclusively for the employees of the Brentford Gas, Light and Coke Company. It is shown here in a drawing by G Cummings dated 1954. The gasometer can be seen in the distance.

The boathouse was demolished in 1992, as this picture records..

I am grateful to Debbie Radcliffe who has done brilliant and detailed research into the history of the site and who has kindly given me access to her work.