For more than a century, Bath has been buying sofas and tables from furniture store TR Hayes.
For four generations, a Bath business has been passed from father to son. Growing decade upon decade and with many staff who have worked in the business for more than 40 years, the name TR Hayes, the furniture specialists on London Road, has become well known throughout the city and, indeed, further afield.
"We're very much linked with Bath," says Derek Hayes, the current managing director of the company, who has been working in the store since 1953. "People come to Bath for the shopping, and even people who leave the city, don't leave us."
With flat pack products or warehouses stacked high with tables and chairs being what many people picture as their idea of furniture shopping, the old fashioned customer service and specialist knowledge the staff at TR Hayes provide may seem like a treat from a bygone era. But it has served the company well, right from it start in 1853.
Thomas Richard Hayes, started a chair-making business in Bethnal Green, London, in 1853. One of the companies it supplied chairs to was Bath Cabinet Makers.
When the First World War broke out, the premises in Bethnal Green were destroyed by bombing and Thomas was invited by the Bath Cabinet Makers to relocate to the west country.
And so, with the offer of new premises, he and his three sons, William, Humphrey and Thomas Richard Jr moved to Widcombe in 1917.
"During World War One," Derek said, "The cabinet makers were used to make the ailerons, the rudders on the wings of the fighter planes - most of them were made out of wood."
The war also took a more personal toll on the family. Conscription called Thomas Sr's second son, William, into the war effort, although he became a conscientious objector. "He didn't have to fight," said Derek. "He got all the horrible jobs like the hospital work."
But the eldest of the three sons, Humphrey, was more keen to take part. "Back then, a commission in the army gave you a bit more status in society," Derek said. And in the hope of being able to marry his girlfriend upon his return from the war, Humphrey became a Sergeant in the London Rifles Brigade. "He was then sent to Flanders Fields in France," Derek said.
Three weeks later, Humphrey was tragically killed in action.
"He was the apple of his father's eye," Derek said of Humphrey. "The golden boy to his father, he was working in the business and he was killed in a pointless battle."
After the war, family life returned to normal for the Hayes and the business started to grow.
Derek's father, Thomas Richard Hayes Jr worked with his father at the family store in Widcombe. "He built the store right out on to the pavement," Derek said of his grandfather. "There was no worry about council planning permission back then."
Where the business started its life in Bath is now The Ram pub on Widcombe Parade.
Thomas Senior worked well into his 80s and when he eventually retired, his youngest son, Derek's father, took over the running of the business.
In more than 100 years of trading the Hayes family has seen many technological advancements take place.
Cars, for instance, transformed how the business was ran.
In 1923, Thomas Jr brought the company's first delivery van, a Ford Model T. It had just two gears and a top speed of 15mph and used a gallon of petrol every 15 miles. "My father was a bit of a joker," Derek said. "When he got the van, he held a stethoscope to the engine, because he said it was so quiet when it was running he didn't know if it was on or not."
In the 1920s the business moved to its premises on London Road, which was originally built in 1903, after the Walcot landslide of 1889 which destroyed the houses below Camden Crescent and created the area which is now Hedgemead Park.
Here, the business grew and grew, expanding into many of the historical properties surrounding the original site. "We did consider moving into a large retail development in Trowbridge," Derek said. "But I was given every encouragement by the Bath City Council Planning and Listed Buildings to expand on this site.
"Part of it used to be The Three Crowns pub," said Derek. "Overall, the site incorporates about 18 different buildings now.
"There was a slaughter house here, a colliery pit, some stables and even an undertakers here at one time."
Derek joined the firm in 1953 and, aside from two years national service, has been working there ever since. His wife Margaret works in the business as well and has done since 1965. "I'm sort of the front of house person," Derek says. "But I wouldn't have been able to do it without her."
Together, they have two sons, Richard and Christopher. Richard has been working in the store since 1990 and Christopher works for the Red Cross in London.
During Derek's years as managing director, he has seen many staff come and go, but some have stayed with the business for the majority of their working life. "We have about 50 staff now," says Derek. "Some people have worked for us for over 40 years. There was Percy Hillier and Ken Wiltshire for instance, who both worked in our carpet department from 1959 for over 40 years each."
The store was without doubt the biggest furniture shop in Bath, but in 1996, it became one of the biggest in the south west. A new 10,000sq ft wing was added to the shop within some of the Georgian cottages surrounding the property. But this could not be completed until a dig by the Bath Archaeological Society had taken place on the site.
"That took two and a half years to complete," said Derek. "The archaeologists found the Georgian properties had been built on some Roman Artisan dwellings and unearthed lots of relics, including the skeleton of a young child.
"It was great to see them at work," says Derek of the archaeologists. "They were really delicate with the bones of the young child and treated them properly, some people were quite emotional about that find."
Now Derek's son Richard Hayes, the fourth generation, is working in the business and together he and his father are looking to the future.
"We do have some more expansion ideas," said Derek. "We're approaching the 100 year mark of the business in Bath, and I'd certainly like to still be working when we get there."
Stephanie Palmer (Bath Chronicle 28/2/2005)