Published in Windlesora 04 (1985)
© WLHG
Frances Road is one of the more fortunate roads, having escaped so much of the modernisation and erecting of new buildings which seems to have overtaken so many other roads in Windsor. It is possibly because this is mainly a residential street, continuing on from Sheet Street towards All Saints Church where the road is met by Alexandra Road before crossing Osborne Road. The houses vary from large detached ones to smaller semi-detached villas.
Where Frances Road crosses Grove Road stands the property numbers 28, 30 and 32. In 1877, Mr. Henry Gold applied for permission to build a new stores which,with later additions to the building, eventually became a coachbuilders. The land was leasehold, the rent being £14.15.0. per annum. The building was an expensive affair, with large glass door: suitable for carriages to be taken in and out, and with carving on the pillars. There was a private house adjoining the property called ‘Bridgewater Villa‘. Mr. Gold was ordered to ensure that the building was kept in good repair. It was painted outside every eight years and every four years inside. It was only to be used as a coachbuilders, “Not a brothel occupied by prostitutes, not altered in any way“. In 1877 the business was being run by the Gold Brothers and held the Royal Warrant for building coaches for members of the Royal Family.
In about 1890 another coachbuilding firm, Brown and Smith, was just starting in Sheet Street, building coaches behind Old Institute House, this firm having moved from Slough. In 1898, the firm was owned and run by Mr. Robert Brown, his sons all having their own particular job in the firm. By 1904, Mr. Brown had moved into 25 Sheet Street with his considerable family, nine children in all. In 1903 the widow, Annie Gold, was declared a bankrupt and so Robert Brown and his eldest son Walter paid up the debt and acquired the business and property. Walter Brown moved into Bridgewater Villa, and at the other end, No. 28 Frances Road was leased to D.5. Fitch Motor Works who hired out the luxurious Sizaire cars. They were the sole agents for Windsor and Reading district. At the same time the rest of the Brown family remained in the family house, 25 Sheet Street, otherwise known as Old Institute House, where they grew up. (The story goes that after Robert died, his bowler hat fell off the hat stand everyday at dinner time and this was attributed to the ‘Governor’s Ghost‘). When Walter moved into Bridgewater Villa, and the family grew up, the firm became a family business with Walter and his four brothers. They eventually formed R. Brown and Sons Ltd.
Each brother supervised his own section, thus Walter ran the office and was the Managing Director, Augustus (Gus) was in charge of the blacksmiths shop, Arthur was the body maker, Leonard (Len) the trimmer, while Robert (Bob) was in charge of the painting. He was sometimes called to London to attend to the Lord Mayor’s coach. In the firm’s heyday, about 60 men were employed. The hours worked were far more than would be allowed today, often a 60 hour week, with the brothers as working directors.
Export business developed with orders from sultans and maharajahs calling for their expertise, especially with elaborate painting, gold leaf work, and luxurious trimmings, tassels and curtains. Perhaps their greatest success was in making governess carts, as shown in Fig I.
As carriages gradually disappeared from the streets and cars took over, business moved on to include trade vehicles, such as hand drawn bakers’ carts and milk floats, beautifully sign written. They converted a baker’s model ‘T’ Ford into a fire tender as can be seen in Fig. 2. Work was carried out on such well known company vehicles as Windsorian coaches and those of the Borough Bus Company. Now they were to value the wide doors put in the original building by Mr. Gold, but the height of the coaches caused some trouble. Mr. Douglas Brown, the last director of the firm, remembers working on Bertram Mills’ Deadwood Coach.
Three of the brothers, Gus, Arthur and Len, were prominent members of the Local Fire Brigade, and problems arose when there were fires in Windsor. Len became the Chief Officer and Arthur held the record for running up and down the escape ladder, but the ‘Three Brown Brothers‘ always managed to be available in times of need. In later years Browns had purchased number 47 Frances Road and had given up Old Institute House. Various members of the family made this their home until the death of the last sister in 1949, when the property was sold.
When coaches and carriages were no longer in demand, Browns became a furniture and antique business with various members of the family carrying on the business which had once been so prosperous. In 1964 Arthur Brown, the last surviving son of Robert Brown, was found lying dead in the shop which had been his life and ‘Browns of Windsor’ was no longer in existence.
Elizabeth and Douglas Brown
Acknowledgement
Mr J Corby of 28 Frances Road.
Windsor Local History Group 