Dover Kent UK

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3 Mill Lane

• 1887-8 Pikes - Mill Lane is not numbered

  • Town Mill, Hogben & Son, millers & corn merchants

  • Samson, Frank

  • Betts, Mrs Greengrocer

  • Tomlin, James

  • Pettit's fruit store

  • Telephone Co's stores

• 1890 pikes - Mill Lane shows a slightly different order

  • 

• 1907 Pikes - Mill Lane

  • Town Mill, Hogben & Son, millers & corn merchants

  • 1 Richards, A Charles

  • 2 Fox, Edward

  • 3 Bingham, S

  • 5 Pettit's Fruit Store

  • 8 Edwards, Tracey

  • 9 Martin. Roberts

• 1914 Pikes - Bingham, S

• 9 July 1926 Dover Express

• 1927 Pikes - Farley, Woodhams and Co Ltd Garage

• 28 Sep 1928 - Dover Express - there are a number of references to Mr Jobson of 3 Mill Lane arranging funerals, here is one example

• 1935-6 Pikes - Farley, Woodhams and Co Ltd Garage

• 25 May 1935 - Dover Express - a reference to the reconstruction into a garage

• 1938-9 Pikes - Farley, Woodham and Co Ltd Garage

• 24 March 1944 - Dover Express

• 1948-9 Pikes - Farley, Woodham and Co Ltd Garage

• 1950 Kellys - nothing is listed

• 1962c FJS Motors (info from Ray Parfitt)

• 1964-73 Ray Parfitt ran a small accident repair and re-spraying business in Mill Lane.  He occupied the left side of the garages as seen in the 1974 photo by JE Gilham below (the one with the three windows over it).  This building was demolished in 1974.

I am grateful to Keith Parfitt and his father Ray for their time in sending in the information below, Ray also said that prior to this he worked for Mr Husk at Whitfield garage.

Mill Lane Garage, Dover Address 3 Mill Lane, Dover (opposite the river – now under the Bench Street carpark) The building The building itself was rented on a temporary lease through local estate agents Worsfolds. It was a somewhat ramshackle structure fronting onto Mill Lane, apparently being roughly restored after War-time damage. It was quite a long, narrow building with an upper storey at the back (used as an office and store). Large folding, green painted wooden doors opened onto the street. The building had once been a stable for milk delivery horses and several original fittings still remained at the far end of the building. There was a date stone of 1812 in the north-west wall indicating that the building had had a long history before it ended up as a garage. The structure was eventually demolished in 1973–4 to make way for Centurion House, now also demolished and recently replaced by a carpark. The Business A small accident repair/panel beating/car respraying garage from 1964 to 1973.  Never sold petrol or did servicing, etc. Proprietor: Raymond Edward Parfitt The business was originally founded at 3 Mill Lane as ‘FJS Motors’ in about 1962. Taken over as a going concern by Ray Parfitt in late 1964, it operated under the new name of Mill Lane Garage until 1973. Ray had one part-time employee for several years. The garage closed in 1973 due to forthcoming redevelopment of the site (Centurion House). Clientele: Most of the garage’s clients worked on the ferries, were Trinity House pilots, customs officer or were employed by other dock related companies. Other customers  included local business people from the adjacent town. Keith & Ray Parfitt September 2016

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