Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
End of an era after century in city centre
With motor dealers Barretts set to move to Broad Oak Road, Gerry Warren takes a road trip down memory lane...
One of Canterbury’s best-known businesses will end its 117-year history in the city centre tomorrow (Friday) when it shuts up shop. Motor dealers Barretts is moving out to new £4.5 million flagship showrooms in Broad Oak Road, where its Jaguar and Land Rover brands will be displayed under one roof.
It will be a wrench for the family firm, which was founded in 1902 by George R Barrett, who started out selling bicycles, and is now run by his great-grandson, Paul Barrett.
He said: “It’s the end of an era and mixed feelings because we are sad to be leaving the city centre, where the company was founded in 1902. “But at the same time we are very excited about our new showrooms, which will provide greatly improved facilities in a more appropriate location.”
The site in St Peter’s Street is to be redeveloped with 120 student flats and five retail units.
Barretts has gone through numerous phases in its long history, including industry booms and slumps and even reconstructions following a devastating fire and war bomb damage.
It was originally called G R Barrett - The West End Garage and Motor Works, and included a petrol station. In 1922, George’s eldest son, John, joined the business to form G R Barrett and Son. In the 1930s, the business expanded next door to create The New Radio Shop selling gramophones, radiograms and radios as well as records and toys, especially Trix and Hornby trains.
But disaster struck on November 2, 1937, when a fire started in the shop, probably among the fireworks that were displayed for sale. Tragically, the hire purchase manager Leonard Jenkins died in the flames and the building was badly damaged.
But just four months after the fire, the modern rebuild was completed on March 18, 1938, and the following year the business became known as Barretts of Canterbury.
The new store offered not just motor cars but all manner of wheeled products, including prams, toys, pedal cars, pushbikes and motorbikes.
The war came to Barretts in October 1940 when a lone Luftwaffe pilot dropped two bombs in the High Street, causing several fatalities. One incendiary crashed through Barretts garage roof and damaged two buses and some offices.
But the business miraculously survived the infamous Baedeker raids of June 1942.
John and brother Reg Barrett played a significant role in the rebuilding of Canterbury while the business limped on due to post-war austerity.
The late 1950s saw an improvement in economic conditions and new directors joined the company, including Geoffrey and Douglas Barrett. The business grew to become Rover and Austin distributors for East Kent, dealing with more than 50 garages and responsible for the annual sale of hundreds of cars.
The 80s began with Barretts’ biggest ever building project, the redevelopment and restoration of all their property facing St Peter’s Street.
Initially, all the brands - Austin, Morris, Rover, Triumph and Jaguar - were under one roof. But Jaguar demanded its own new showroom and workshop and parts facility on the site, which was finished in 1987.
The company expanded to Ashford in the 90s while Barretts acquired new franchises, including BMW and later Mini, Honda and Citroen.
In 2012, the decision was taken to sell the company’s Malthouse workshop site in St Stephens Road to the King’s School. At the end of 2013, Barretts bought a new site on Westminster Road, which became a new showroom and service department for Citroen.
And now the latest chapter in the company’s long history has opened with the move out of the city centre altogether to a state-of-the-art new home for its Jaguar Land Rover brands.