The day the Co-op was wrecked by fire

Even with all the longstanding and modern safety devices available today, there’s still a risk that with even the best precautions in place, fire can still cause the ultimate in damage, often destroying everything in its path.

Whether it’s at home or in business premises, often lengthy insurance claims further add to the inconvenience and heartache felt by all involved.

There is also the question of those things that can never be replaced such as stock if you are a business and cherished keepsakes if you suffer in a domestic environment. The recovery from such a cruel incident is often immensely difficult and it can sometimes take years to get anywhere near straight.

Sometimes, it is easier for example for a business to call on another branch or others in the locality to help, and the Ashford Co-operative Society demonstrated this after their fire just before lunchtime on May 4 in 1926.

The blaze, which caused extensive damage to the premises in the Lower High Street, was so bad that the buildings had to be demolished.

The overcrowding of buildings at the back of the premises hampered the fire brigade and effectively led to the fire spreading.

Unbelievably, much of the branch and its departments were up and running in alternative premises the following day.

The society had first opened at Hempsted Street in 1887 and latterly at 24-28 High Street (illustrated) in 1895. A building of much grandeur was built to replace those destroyed. It opened in 1928.

The grand replacement to the society’s destroyed premises pictured in 1976. The new store opened in 1928

The gutted premises of the Ashford Co-operative Society, pictured on May 4, 1926. The society had moved to this site in 1895. Its first town centre store opened in 1887 at Hempsted Street

The colossal amount of damage is clear in this view showing the society’s fire ravaged premises at 24 High Street, Ashford