St Neots-based Harrison & Rowley celebrated its 100th anniversary on 16 July with a hog roast and fun day for staff, former employees and their families.

The eponymous Mr Harrison and Mr Rowley began trading from premises on Foster Hill Road in Bedford as a small business selling second-hand furniture from manufacturers such as Ercol, Parker Knoll and G-Plan. In addition, they offered cleaning and carpet fitting, alongside curtains and blinds with a full made-to-measure service. Mr Rowley sadly passed away in 1923, a year after the partnership began, leaving Mr Harrison as sole owner. Despite his short involvement in the business, Mr Rowley’s name was retained as it is today.

Of course the furniture sold needed to be delivered, originally by horse and cart, and later using vans. When business was slack the vans lay idle and so a decision was made to move into removals to make full use of the new vehicles.

After the Second World War the removals business thrived and new branches were opened in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. It wasn’t long before the company no longer sold furniture and instead concentrated on removals and storage. With many people requiring goods to be stored it was an obvious choice to offer that service too, alongside commercial removals.

At the end of the 1980s the company acquired the removals and storage section of Brittains of St Neots and later, further expanded with the addition of Pink & Jones Removals of Kettering.

Brothers, Mark and Alistair Spooner, purchased the company in 2011 and chose to expand the storage side of the business by building purpose-built self storage units. They also took on Jim Williams as a general manager to assist with the company’s expansion and oversee their new venture.

Harrison & Rowley was one of the founding members of Britannia Movers International plc, established 40 years ago, and was the first Bedfordshire removals company to be awarded the British Standard EN 12522 for domestic removals for private individuals.

Photo (left to right): Alistair Spooner and Mark Spooner with framed pictures celebrating the history of the company.