Birches Garage has been a Rushden landmark since 1937. The distinctive “Widows Watch” tower is one of the features that make Rushden’s High Street something special.
Located near the former railway station, Birches Garage was an ideal base for Birches Buses, a family business that could trace its roots back to 1810. The company used to run buses down to London (the route 203 and later the 203M).
In 1969, the routes (and buses) were sold to United Counties. The building later
became a furniture store and also housed a fish-and-chip shop.
In the last few years, the Art Deco building fell out of use and various plans were made to repurpose the site.
Several planning applications were submitted to the former East Northamptonshire Council and later to North Northamptonshire Council. One of the applications set a local record, by initially having 11 (eleven!) reasons for refusal!
It became a tug-of-war between the Planning Authority and the developers over their plan to turn the building into flats. The local community and the Planning Authority wanted to preserve the iconic frontage that was important to Rushden’s history, whilst the developers wanted to demolish the whole building and make a fresh start.
In the end, there was a compromise. The frontage was preserved, but most of the rest of the building was flattened and is being replaced by a more modern construct.
The redeveloped building is a mixture of flats and town houses. The developers are seeking bids for the new dwellings and had an open day on 31st January.