Who remembers the – Corner Seat Restaurant – just a café really – that was on the corner of Station Road and Warwick Road? It was owned and run by Mr Dolphin and was a very popular venue for many years.
The very distinctive Bow-Window frontage was designed by George Clarke, brother to Dennis Clarke who owned Inchbrook Woodworkers Ltd, my then, employers.
I was the joiner who made the whole thing with very little help in the workshop at Common Lane during the early-mid 1960s. English Oak was the timber used, the deep chamfered profiles on the Mock Georgian window bars were machined by Raymond Tisdale Joinery, whose workshop was opposite us in Common Lane.
The whole frontage was drawn out full-size onto a joined sheet of hardboard, and the tried and tested – rod method – was used to ensure accuracy of fit, into the huge opening. It was one of the most complicated joinery I ever tackled, no glue was used just traditional mortice and tenon joints with wooden pegs, for the main frames.
It took me about three weeks from start to finish working alone, I only received help during final assembly. The whole thing was transported by lorry one cold Sunday morning, I had a small gang to help remove the old frontage, and to break up the quarter plate glass windows, which was surprisingly tough. We did it by jumping on the unsupported sections of glass; until we had small enough pieces to load.
Once the whole new frontage was fixed in place and the front door hung, the premises were boarded up until the next day. You can see from the photograph, just how many panes of glass were fitted, each one held in by dozens of very thin oak beads, embedded in waterproof mastic.
The cafe was opened the following week, after the linseed oil finish had dried and all the timber to brick joints were sealed and secure. I still have the hand-made gouge I used to scoop out some of the surfaces to give the window a ‘weather-worn’ appearance, as requested by Mr Dolphin – criminal.
When the cafe closed the window stayed in use for an Estate Agents until removed for the current frontage. I desperately tried to rescue my window, to use as a conservatory, but I was too late – it was smashed to bits on the back of a lorry……. Such is Life.
Copyright Cyril Hobbins 2023