‘Ashford Shard’ site is full of history

Last year, plans were unveiled to rejuvenate one of the town’s longstanding eyesores by replacing it with what has been dubbed as Ashford’s answer to The Shard – a 16-storey ‘skyscraper’.

The former HomePlus site in Beaver Road had long been earmarked for development, but residents were not prepared for the adventurous plans for the tower nor its design.

The planned development is one of a number of large-scale projects in this part of Ashford at the moment.

Previously the site of County

Motors and then a new premises for one-time Ford dealership John Wilment in the 1960s, the building and site was best known as the home of the former B&Q Supercentre, which was opened by television personality the late Derek Nimmo in 1976.

From an automotive dealer to a hub for the do-it-yourself enthusiast, the building has long been part of the streetscape and, since the road alterations of the 1990s, has been a blight on an area which the council has long wished to improve.

The former B&Q escaped demolition at this time which saw the neighbouring

Butchers Hotel, The Cinema, The Victoria public house and Kennetts newsagents all demolished for the road scheme.

HomePlus has successfully traded from the site ever since with, in recent times, an equally successful car wash operating next door.

During its time as B&Q, the building suffered a fire in 1986 when an electrical fault occurred in the lighting system in the carpet department.

Unbelievably, the store was open the following day after the fire was successfully contained by firemen.

The neighbouring premises which existed before the road project had also been the home of County Motors and had latterly been the home of Kwik Fit before its relocation to Mace Lane.

This week, Remember When takes a pictorial look back at the spot in the days before HomePlus operated from the site.

The trio of images date from 1962, 1966 and 1976 respectively.

Do you have pictorial memories of this site?

Email me: rememberwhen_ kmash@hotmail.co.uk

For more on the former HomePlus shop, see page 19

1966 - The new building is already operational (right) in this view at the time of John Wilment’s occupying the site. The building in the centre and the cinema (far left) were both demolished in the 1990s for a road scheme

1976 - The one-time B&Q Supercentre in the former premises of John Wilment. The doit-yourself store, part of the chain founded by Richard Block and David Quayle in 1969 as Block and Quayle, was opened in 1976 by television personality the late Derek Nimmo. A new store was later built at Norman Road