paines nuseries Harold road

[marion_head]

my mum and dad worked and met in these flower nurseries ,along with some other members of my family what was the address also my father lived in Harold road his father Walter Head had a milk round could anyone tell me about this .I know they wer up and running in the 60,s because i helped there as a child

[patrickvic]

Looking through my Kelly's Directory for 1960 I see that 219 had a J.Paine (Florists) (Harold nursery) also Ralph Aldrige,beer retailer was listed at the same address..a R.F.Paine was listed as living there presumably in a flat upstairs..219 was on the corner with Athelstan Road and I am sure that there are still shops there..I note that the next number on the houses was 251..Farmers Direct Dairies had a shop at 199,the last time I was around that way there were still shops in that particular stretch including a chinese chippy and a Belgian restuarant..I could find no Head listed in Harold Road for that year..

[marion_head]

Harold road nurseries occupied two sites on the hill the flats are built on the ground the big house on the land was lived in by the paines then converted too flats as the manageress of the shop in the arcade in queens street lived there .My Grandad lived in harold road ,but but i dont know if the milk round was there it was a pull along float with churns and measures .he also was a greenkeeper for the golf club
RF paine was the son but he then sold up .the milk was a lot earlier than the nurseries possibly

[vickie_lloyd]

Were'nt Paine's the florists in the Queen's Road Arcade for many years ?

[marion_head]

yes they were my mum worked in there with a lady called Betty Isaacs she had a flat on the nusery for a while but then moved when the land was sold .All my aunts have worked there as well as my dad

[vickielloyd5_hotmail_com]

They did my wedding bouquet in 1969 ,and many more lovely flowers from there ,before and after that

[marion_head]

hi vicky that is a good memory my mum worked partime for them on and off so it may have been her who did it although it was probably Betty ,my brother and I had many happy summers on the nursery helping and playing

[vickie_lloyd]

i can remember the florist so well in The Arcade,opposite the ' smelly fish stall ' its still there !! i do remember the lady in the flower shop as being very smart and had short blonde hair ?? i used to love the smell in there and the wooden floor !! i see that its was still a florists up to last year ,but i can't remember what it was this year when we were up on holidays ,lovely memories !!

[jenny_pain]

My family tree research shows a 19th century family member, William Henry Hobden, working at Harold Nurseries (from about 1870 to early 1890s) - the censuses & directories suggest he owned or managed the nursery and he also is listed as a stallholder at Pelham Arcade (under the present Pelham Crescent), presumably to sell the produce. He lived at 3 Harold Cottages, which I guess was near the nursery - the Hobdens were poor, so he is unlikely to have owned a house. I suspect he rented the land used for the nursery.

In the early 1890s he dropped off all the records - he would have been in his 60s, so I guess he retired, and the nurseries must have become part of the Paine's business (no relation to me!) fairly soon after that. I would really love to know what happened to William Hobden and his family - he had daughters listed in the 1890 census as working as florist's assistants, presumably in the nursery.

Jenny Pain

[Gerry Glyde]

I assume that you have tried all birth, marriage and death for all family members in the uk not just Hastings.
Would they have emigrated. Some search sites have passenger ship registers available.