"The Prince Albert"

A Memory of Golders Green.

I have one of the earliest known photographs of the building that occupied the site in the 1800's.
The house was started as a 'Beer House' by a Frederick Smith circa 1851. It underwent a rebuild by Richard King c1898, and included a 'Tea House' along side. The King family were also Timber Merchants in Brent Street, Hendon, and Highfield Road, Golders Green. At the start of the 20th Century Frederick King (1860-1938) was the Landlord of 'The Prince Albert; he was married to my maternal Grandmother's sister, Elizabeth Brace (1857-1914). His brother, Joe King, was Landlord of ' The Rose & Crown' in Brent Street.
My father, mother and elder brother came to Hendon from Chingford in 1928 ( I was born five years later ) and were accommodated in a house in Hendon owned by the King family; my father, affectionately known as 'Eddie' was employed at 'The Prince Albert' from 1928 until 1968, apart from 1941-1945 when he was 'called up' and served in the Royal Air Force.
In the late Thirties the 'Tea House' was demolished and a 'Club Room' was built, suitable for recreation like table tennis,, darts, cards etc, and functions could be held, built in the same style as the public house. In 1938 when Frederick King died he was succeeded by his son William.
At home in 1940 during the 'Blitz' we sheltered under the stairs night after night, then in September the house suffered bomb blast damage and doors and windows were blown in. After that as it was considered dangerous for us to stay in the house at nights, William King offered us the use of the boiler room in the cellar of the Prince Albert; my father arranged pallasses on beer crates where the family slept together for the remainder of the 'Blitz' until 1941, when our house had been 'patched up', and my father had been 'called up'.
One Sunday morning in 1945 a V2 Rocket landed just behind 'The Prince Albert', taking out the back wall of the Club House, and created a lot of other damage too. It was not until the mid 1950s that the club house could be replaced, but because of building restrictions and shortage of materials it could not be re-built in a matching design. The interior was no longer designed or used for recreation, but as a restaurant with a full time Chef employed; there was also a snack bar installed in the Saloon Bar.
Eventually William King died in 1961 and was succeeded by his son David as Landlord who stayed until 1966; my father remained for a further two years after his normal retirement age to help the new owners, Mr and Mrs Johnson settle in
In the early Seventies it was taken over and became "Sullivans" , later as a "Harvester' which eventually closed and the buildings were demolished and the site has remained empty for a number of years.