My great grandfather; Algy Pamphilon bought Anscombe's &
Sons in Harpenden, it remained in the family until 1981 before it was sold
and the site was redeveloped. The store was a Harpenden institution and its
legacy remains only in records and memories. The store was destroyed before I
was born however I have often had people tell me their fond memories of the
store without them knowing my connection to it. Being able to recall memories
of Anscombe’s is often used as a measuring stick for those natives who lovingly
still refer to Harpenden as ‘The Village’.
The stores ‘cash
railway’ system is always first to be warmly described. The overhead system of
pulleys and wires delivered the customer’s payment in a metal carrier and
detachable wooden cup from the cashier to the cash desk on the first floor. The
cup would efficiently make the return leg back to the cashier with the
customers change and bill of sale. The shop floor must have been quite a
chorus as the cups whizzed overhead with a succession of metallic clunks
signalling their arrival at the destination. One man told me he remembered watching
the system from his pram, I imagine it was a spellbinding sight.
Anscombe’s & Sons established in 1848 when Allen
Anscombe began selling groceries and draperies in the front room of his Georgian
home on Leyton Road. The business thrived and extended its premises upon its success,
becoming established as ‘Allen Anscombe & Sons, Drapers, Hosiers,
Haberdashers, Grocery and General Stores’; a department store in the style of those
found in London’s West End at the time. In 1926 the store passed into the hands
of Managing Director Algy Pamphilon and the Pamphilon family.
Algy was quite the entrepreneur and business man.
During the Second World War and a few years subsequent when fabrics were in
limited supply, Algy bought whatever Government Surplus materials he could lay
his hands on. From pure silk parachutes that were dyed and made into underwear,
cushion covers and blouses to Surplus Barrage Balloons cut into large pieces
and sold as waterproof car covers or roofing for garden sheds. A true
thrifter and opportunist of his time.
His eye for opportunity created much success often drawing
custom from miles around. His sale of net curtain material led to perhaps the
longest queue seen in Hertfordshire, (arguably bigger than the midnight release
of Harry Potter books from WH Smiths). The material was virtually unobtainable
at the time (as instead it was used for the war efforts as an anti-shatter device
for windows) however he managed to obtain half a shipload.
As the war years receded, and trading and supplies
returned to normal, Anscombe’s resumed to the style of business they became
known for pre-war days. By 1963 the premises extended once again with the
acquisition of the disused Regent cinema and became the furniture department.
Despite the changes of the public buying habits where
self-service shops were becoming more popular on Harpenden’s high street,
Anscombe’s retained its old world charm and high standards of personal service.
Stepping into the Emporium was described as being like crossing the threshold
of time where women wearing feather hats and gentlemen wearing brown derby hats
would have been a familiar sight.
In 1981, managing director
Bryan Pamphilon and his brother (my grandfather) Dennis Pamphilon announced the
closure of Anscombe’s & Sons. Having withstood the competition from
multiple self-service stores for so long and outlived other department stores
of its kind by many years the burden of Value Added Tax and the pace of modern
living are claimed o be the main reasons for the downturn of trade in the store.
‘People
don’t seem to appreciate good service any more’ was the woeful comment of Mr
Dennis Pamphilon.
I hope that some of Algy's genes have been passed down to me, particularly his entrepreneurial and opportunist abilities.
