"When we came to Putney in the 1970's, Sainsbury's was on the High Street about 3 shops back from the corner of Werter Road."Yes, apparently the old Sainsburys was at 109 PHS. It was open from 1955 until 1974. The shop had been bought from Coppen Brothers, who had run it from 1888."Incidentally the old maps show sheet metal workshops on the other side of the High Street at the back. Any information on those?"That area looks interesting. It is under the Exchange now. It is called Premier Place and in 1910 and 1921 there were several firms who produced (assembled?) small numbers of cars based there. The firms were West London Scientific Apparatus Co. Ltd (!!), Putney Garage Ltd, and Doran, Taggart and Co., motor engineers. I obviously need to look at later directories to see who the sheet metal works may have been, but Premier Place does seem to have been a site for related businesses.Just found this:-From THE LONDON GAZETTE, 26 AUGUST, 1949LOCKE, John Leonard, 130, Village Way, Ashford, in the county of Middlesex, CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER, and lately carrying on business as "A.L.P. Construction Company" (described in the Receiving Order as The Alp ConstructionCompany), at that address and until recently also at part of Premier Metal Works, 18-26, Premier Place, Putney High Street, London, S.W.15.Court—WANDSWORTH, No. of Matter—5 of 1949, Date of Order—Aug. 19, 1949. Date of Filing Petition—April 4, 1949.Premier Place was entered via an alleyway beside 102 Putney High Street, it seems. So now I wonder how finished cars got out? Maybe assembly was somewhere else, or there is another way in.
David Ainsworth ● 746d