Hickmans Stores

click The Grocers of Lacey Green & Loosley Row for other grocery shops

BUILT IN THE GARDEN

In 1924 Harold Hickman built a house in the garden of Kia Cottage. He called it "Wembley". It was the year of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, which maybe inspired the name. Downstairs, facing the Main Road was a large room, designed to be a shop. Harold and Emily moved into the rest of the house. This was to be "HICKMAN STORES", a much loved establishment for the rest of the century.

Click 1924 Hickman Stores Opens. For the life of H.G. Hickman click Harold George Hickman. For other news in 1924 go to main heading "Social Snapshots", then click articles beginning "1924".

Previous History

Hickman Stores

In 1823. The Enclosures of Princes Risborough allocated this land to Joshua Dell, freehold. Click Joshua Dell, born 1757 to see how to was inherited by Thomas Dell

24th June 915. Auction Sale Click 1915 Sale of Estate of Thomas Dell for details

24^th June 1915.  Conveyance between the executor of Thomas Dell and Mr H G Hickman.

Schedule

All that piece of land, together with the freehold cottage and outbuildings erected thereon at Lacey Green, for some years past in the occupation of Amos Janes.   Known as Kia Cottage.   Sold for £185.

In 1924 Harold Hickman built a house on the land he had purchased in 1915, calling it Wembley Cottage.   He and his wife Emily moved into the house.   It stood on the south side of Kia Cottage.   The front faced the Main Road and the ground floor at the front was made into a general stores called Hickmans Stores.

Harold and Emily Hickman were to have no children, but their nephew Bert Dell lived with them for much of the time.

In the 1939 Register (Census) Harold and Emily are living there also ‘Bert’ Dell.

Death.  Harold Hickman died 10^th July 1946.   He left everything to Emily with the shop to go to Bert Dell.

1954    Conveyance.   Horace and Ivy Mary ‘May’ Rixon sold to Emily Hickman of the stores, Lacey Green for £450

Schedule - Parcel of land at Lacey Green, having a frontage of 68 feet to the road and a depth therefrom to the southeast of 36 feet.

Marriage.  In July 1956, Bert R G Dell married Kathleen May Mercer, aged 35.   They ran Hickmans Stores together for many years.   It became better known as “Bert and May’s”.  Bert’s nephews and nieces were often there out of school hours helping fill shelves.   Click Bert & May Dell for their life stories.

The following extract is a short description ----- (For the full article click 1961 Social Snapshot by Joan West (Autobiography)

Extract ----- "They stocked all I needed and I collected my bread from them four times a week.   They also sold petrol and paraffin which we needed for a convector heater that we stood in our hall in the winter.  “ Bert’s” was a wonderful place to get to know people.   At first it seemed that everyone in there knew everybody else.  And they probably did.   But Bert  and May always had a word for everyone and all were included.   They were first class village shopkeepers to my mind and a great help to me in feeling at home here."

Death.

Emily Hickman died 5^th May 1964, aged 84.

17^th March 1965.  Conveyance.   The executors of Emily Hickman conveyed to Bert Ralph George Dell, at the bequest of her late husband ---All the shop and dwelling premises known as ‘The Stores’, now in the occupation of Bert Ralph George Dell.

1963  Conveyance.   Harry George Floyd sold to Bert Ralph George Dell for £100

Schedule.   All that piece of land, part of Floyd Farm, running in a narrow triangle to a point behind ‘The Stores’ and ‘Kia Cottage’

1964    Now called Hickman Stores.    The property was altered, extended and modernised.

24^th February 1986   Conveyance.   Bert Ralph George Dell of Lacey Green sold to Brian Thomas and Barbara June Norris of 25 Goviots Green, Gerrards Cross

Schedule. All that shop and dwelling premises, known as ‘Hickmans Stores’, with no land, for £95,000

In 1984 changed hands once more to Derek and Maureen Woodbridge, who added newspapers and wines.

In 1988 Peter Trotter wrote about the Stores. click 1984 Derek & Maureen Woodbridge at Hickmans Stores.

They closed the stores in 1996 - the decline made worst by supermarkets being opened locally.

Empty   The premises lay empty for three years.

1999.   Conveyance   The Stores was sold to Mr and Mrs Clive Houdghton as a technical music shop.   It was called Entertainment House.

Note   (Bert and May moved into a new house in Kiln Lane, which they called Kiln Lodge.   Bert Dell died in September 1986.   He left everything to May, his widow.   May had built and moved into a new house next to the old stores which she called Honeysuckle Cottage.   May died in 2011.   In May 2013 Marion Dell, executor of May Dell, sold the land adjoining Honeysuckle cottage to Mr and Mrs Houdghton of Hickmans Stores