Estates services of Thomas Taylor and Percy Kensett, that may have been in business from 1891 to 1914.

Contents

Ghost sign
Newspaper articles
Kensett the builder
Kensett the Cold Storage Expert
Council Minutes

Ghost sign

There is a ghost sign, off the west side of London Road, at the entrance to Lidl.

The firm of Taylor & Kensett were listed as builders in local street directories at the beginning of the 20th century, and from council minutes, building applications show:

1899 for 38 houses in Pitcairn Road
1903 for 12 houses in Crusoe Road
1904 for 16 houses in Crusoe Road

Also from Streatham News – Saturday 18 January 1908:-

1908 for houses numbered 67 to 87 in Kenlor Road, Tooting.

The street directories also give their full names, as they are listed separately with ‘see Taylor & Kensett’.

Newspaper articles

Wimbledon News – Saturday 03 November 1900

HOUSES to Let, on new estate; two reception rooms, kitchen and scullery, three bedrooms, and fitted bath and w.c. (h. and c. supply), rent £2 17s. per month inclusive.—Apply, Taylor and Kensett, house agents, Tooting Junction.

Cricket

The firm had its own cricket team.
Clapham Observer – Saturday 29 July 1905

MITCHAM LONSDALE ATHLETIC v. TAYLOR & KENSETT’S.

This match at Figg’s Marsh, on Saturday, ended in a win for the home team by 75 runs. The visitors batted first and scored 21, out of which Elliott claimed 11 not out. Three wickets were down for three runs and things were going well for the home team, whilst with five runs scored three more wickets fell, following which, without any addition to the score, Barker was clean bowled; Stonewall was caught off the next ball, and Percy bringing off a fine left-handed catch in the slips enabled Smith to perform the “hat trick.” The visitors’ bowling was only moderate, the only one to trouble the batsmen being Barker, who took eight wickets for 36, a very good performance considering the big score against his side. Knapp was in Jessopian mood, and profiting by the unaccepted chances he gave, he rattled up 62 runs in double-quick time, his innings including only five singles. Scores:—

TAYLOR & KENSETT’S.		MITCHAM LONSDALE.
Gordon, b Cheeseman	0	Sternberg, b Barker	3
Beadle, b Smith	0	Smith (capt.) not out	2
Dumert, b Smith	0	Knapp, c Roberts b Barker	62
Barker, b Smith	0	Courtier (P.), c Elliott b Barker	2
Elliott, not out	11	Cheeseman, l.b.w. b Barker	0
Stonewall, c English b Smith	0	White, b Elliott	5
Page, b Cheeseman	0	Biffa, c & b Barker	0
Roberts, c Percy b Smith	0	Latham, b Barker	4
Pritchard, st. Courtier b Smith	8	English, c Dumert b Barker	12
Wood, c White b Latham	1	Courtier (L.) c Gordon b Barker	0
Hurst, st. Courtier b Latham	0	Percy did not bat
Extras	1	Extras	6
Total	21	Total	96

In a court case reported in the Sutton & Epsom Advertiser – Friday 03 September 1909, the accused said that he had worked for Taylor & Kensett for 18 years, which would be from 1891.

Hartlepool Mail – Friday 02 September 1921

EXCITING FIRE SCENES Whole Street in Danger. There were remarkable scenes at Mitcham yesterday — a portion of a street being in flames. Fire broke out at the timber yard of Messrs. Taylor and Kensett in Crusoe road, and burned fiercely that adjoining houses caught fire, and the whole street seemed in danger. Householders in considerable alarm carried their furniture and valuables out into the street, and there was scene of great confusion. The combined efforts of the brigades, however, succeeded in preventing the spread of the flames, but not before four houses adjacent to the timber yard had been considerably burned.

Kensett the builder

Percy Frank Kensett is listed in the 1900 commercial directory as a builder, with the note ‘see Taylor & Kensett’.

The following was obtained from ancestry and newspaper articles.

Percy Frank Kensett was born in Bibury, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire in 1869.
In the 1901 census he was living in Mitcham, as a builder and an employer, with his unmarried sister Constance M. Kensett, aged 31.

His WW1 pension records shows he served with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, from 3rd September 1914 until 15th October 1915. His address given on enlistment was Broad Meadow, Coombe Lane, Wimbledon. His age on enlisting was 46 years 120 days. Physically he was 5ft 5 and a half inches tall, 133 lbs in weight with dark hair and hazel eyes. His religion was Church of England. He had previously served in the London Rifle Brigade Lodge of Freemasons from 1900 to 1907. His rank on joining the KRR was of Sergeant.

In 1939 he is listed as a retired architect, living in Northleach, Gloucestershire at The Close, with his sister Constance. He died at 72 in The Close on 18th December, 1940, and left £25,000 (£1,226,000 in 2026 values) to his sister Constance Mary Kensett, who was a spinster.

Kensett the Cold Storage Expert

A patent in 1901 was filed by Percy Frank Kensett and Thomas Taylor for Improvements in and connected with Fastening Devices for the Doors of Cold Stores. See Google Patents.

In the January issue of The Engineer, P.F. Kensett is mentioned on page 192.

In the 1911 census, Percy Frank Kensett, aged 42, is listed as a Cold Storage Expert, and living at 336 Coombe Lane, Wimbledon.

In the 1912 street directory, Taylor & Kensett Limited is listed as insulation contractors.

The 1915 Electoral Register for Wimbledon has Percy Frank Kensett as a qualifying owner to be able to vote in Mitcham West Ward, due to his owning freehold and leasehold houses in 1 to 5 London Road and 2 to 20 Pitcairn Road.

---

Council Minutes

From the minutes of the Croydon Rural District Council
Volume VIII
1902 to 1903
Highways
17th April 1902
page 45

20. FIGGS MARSH DRAINAGE.—Read letter from Messrs. Taylor & Kensett, the owner of building land on the west side of London Road, Figg’s Marsh, near Tooting Junction Railway Bridge. The road was, at present, drained by pipes laid under the footway discharging on to the land belonging to the applicants, where a ditch formerly existed ; to carry out what was suggested would necessitate the construction of four new gullies and a length of 6in. drain to take the water to the other side. It would improve the drainage of the highway and at the same time relieve the landowner of a liability to get rid of the water now discharging on to the land ; the cost would be approximately £20, and he suggested that Messrs. Taylor & Kensett should be asked to contribute one-half the cost.

—The Committee Resolved, That they be required to pay the whole of the cost of the work.

---

From the minutes of the
Croydon Rural District Council
Roads and Buildings Committee
Volume VIII 1902 – 1903
15th May 1902
page 111

2. Deposited Plans. – The Buildings Sub-Committee reported that they had carefully examined al the plans of new streets and buildings deposited since the last meeting, and on their recommendation, it was Resolved:-
(a) That the undermentioned be approved:

No. 2127, Taylor & Kensett, house, London Road, Mitcham

---

Minutes of meetings held by the Croydon Rural District Council are available on request from the Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre at Morden Library.