No 4 Beresford Street

Historic Jersey buildings 4 Beresford Street, St Helier Index of all house profiles If you own this property, have ancestors who lived here, or can provide any further information and photographs, please contact us through editorial@jerripedia.org

Property name

4 Beresford Street

Location

Beresford Street, St Helier

Type of property

Mid-20th century development of shop and accommodation above

Owners

The present occupant of the building, a cafe trading as The Merchants, shows on its website that the original property was built between 1795 and 1834 ^[1] and was owned by the Picot family at the end of the 19th century. The family lived here and carried out various businesses, starting with an ironmongers run by Josue and then his son George Picot, until it was sold to Henry Le Rossignol in 1914. The website suggests that Mr Le Rossignol ran a tobacconist shop here continuously from 1914 to 1979, but this is not supported by the almanac listings below, which show grocer W H G Smith in business from at least 1920 until after World War Two.

But almanac listings for Le Rossignol are very confusing. H Le Rossignol is shown trading at No 3½ from 1920 until 1970. No 4 does not appear in street directories from 1950 to 1975, when Le Rossignol is shown there. There were probably two shops in the earlier building, one occupied by Mr Smith and the other by Mr Le Rossignol. When the rebuilding took place, soon after 1950, the single shop was occupied by H Le Rossignol, but the compilers of the almanac seem to have perpetuated the use of 3½ for over two decades.

Families and businesses associated with the property

Census returns

• 1851 - George Thorn (23) house painter; wife Ann (24)
• 1861 - Charles Granger (49) druggist, from France; wife Gae (49); daughters Louise (20), Marie (18) and Celine (17), born France and Switzerland. All French governesses
• 1871 - Edmund Malin (32) chemist; wife Ellen (30) and four daughters
• 1881 - Augustus Elliston (36) pharmacist; wife Hannah Maria (28)
• 1891 - No 4, Matthew Picot (25) boot and shoe dealer; wife Elizabeth, nee Le Sueur (24); son John (2); sister in law Sophie Allix (53), three nieces. No 4a, George Picot (31) ironmonger; wife Elizabeth (47) from Alderney
• 1901 - George Picot (46) ironmonger; wife Elizabeth (37)

Le Feuvre Brothers were at No 4 in the 1910s

Almanac listings

• 1874-1880 - No 4, Woods brothers, chemists. No 4½ - J Picot, ironmonger
• 1886 - No 4, C H Woods, hosier. No 4½, George Picot, ironmonger
• 1895 - No 4, J Picot and Son; G T Picot. No 4½, George Picot, ironmonger
• 1900 - No 4, J Picot and Son; G T Picot
• 1905 - No 4, G T Picot
• 1915 - No 4, Le Feuvre Bros
• 1920-1940 - No 4, W H G Smith
• 1914-1979 - No 3½, Henry Philip Le Rossignol ^[2]
• 1950 - No 4, Smiths (C G Noel)
• 1975 - No 4, H Le Rossignol
• 1990 - No 4, Elle Fashions

Le Rossignol: In 1941 Henry Le Rossignol (1884- ), his wife Lizzie Maud, née Arthur (1879- ) and their son Arthur Henry Le Rossignol (1921- ) were living here

Historic Environment Record entry

Listed building

This mid 20th century shop, with its strong facade around its central axis, is well planned integrating retail and residential within its entrance way. The original shopfront and display cabinets are unusually well preserved and unchanged. Three-storey, threee-bay. Central bay on first and second floors. Recessed to form balconies. Symmetrical around central entrance and balconies. Roof unseen behind parapet.

Ground floor shopfront original metal framed windows and display cases. Either side of recessed shop entrance porch are recessed display alcoves with modern glazing. Rear wall of porch slightly canted with central double glazed doors with overlights running full width of porch, divided in 3 horizontally.

Porch floor golden terrazzo rising as brown terrazzo to cills of display windows. Ground floor shop retains original terrazzo section inside door.

Notes and references

1. ↑ The progress of development in the street would suggest that the building date was towards the end of this timespan
2. ↑ The business was started by Henry Philip, who bought the property in 1914. He died in 1965, so it is likely that the business was then continued by his son, Arthur Henry

Bob Moyse and Lloyd Cornish were in business here as Elle in the 1980s