Bohemia Village Voice

Indoor loo – after 130 years

The only listed buildings in Bohemia, 77, left, and 79. The latter, with its art nouveau front, is to be fitted with its first indoor loo. Aug 2006

A listed building in Bohemia Road is about to get its first indoor loo – after a 130 year wait. No. 79 Bohemia Road, which was used by Hastings Locksmiths for many years is at last about to acquire an indoor toilet. The architects for the project are Maher Paradine Associates of Hastings Old Town and the building contractors, who start work next Monday are Dovetails Construction of St Leonards.

Together with no. 77, next door, the two buildings are, according to Hastings Borough Council, the only two listed buildings in Bohemia. The two properties first appeared on an Ordnance Survey map of 1875 and the first record of a business on the premises dates from the 1884 Kelley’s Directory.

In 1884, no. 77, Bohemia Road was occupied by a watchmaker. From 1910 the shop was occupied by King Brothers, stationers. They continued to trade from the premises until the 1970s. During the 1960s to 1970s, Kings Brothers occupied both the shop units. From 1884, the shop unit at 79, Bohemia Road was occupied by a drapers.

Then a key change occurred in the history of this shop when, in around 1910, the London Grocery Stores took over the premises. It is highly likely that the current Art Nouveau style shop front and tiled interior were installed at this time. The shop was later taken over by Feaist Bakers in 1929 who occupied the premises until the 1960s. The door to the shop is engraved ‘Feaist Bakers & Co. Ltd’. One of the main reasons the shop was proposed for being listed is the decorative tiling to all internal shop walls (see picture). The pattern varies above and below a tiled dado. It is believed that the tiles above the dado date from about 1910 or earlier, and that those below date from about 1920. They are described as  ‘lightly coloured mottled tiles with semi-matt glaze, stack bonded, with a tulip design to decorative tile panels, tube lined colours.’ The shop has a decorative plaster ceiling with a plaster framed central painted panel depicting three swallows on a blue sky and white cloud background. Owner John Humphries says “Getting all the various permissions required with a listed building has taken months, and it has not been easy to find a good builder who has time to fit in a relatively small job like this. The main works include the construction of a partition in the back office and the fitting of a new loo and a tea-making area. New light fittings and power sockets will be fitted.”

A pair of the art nouveau tiles from the shop at 79, Bohemia Road

Edward Preston writes (Aug 2006)

Dear Sir, I feel I must point out a couple of errors in last week’s issue, concerning 77 and 79, Bohemia Road. No. 77 was never, in fact used as a watchmakers. The records are somewhat confusing as the buildings in Bohemia Road were not always numbered as they are today. In fact, there have been two other numberings before the present system. Often, a terrace of houses was built and numbered regardless of other buildings’ numbers. ‘No. 77’ was at one time part of the block of shops between Upper South Road and Newgate Road. But this was not the no. 77 as exists today [Masquerade Fancy Dress, on the corner of Newgate Road and Bohemia Road]. Also, there are at least two other listed buildings in Bohemia – Bohemia Cottages on Bohemia Road between Magdalen Road and De Cham Road. Edward Preston, Bohemia Road.