4 St John Street

▪ Grade II listed

▪ Built in late 18th century/early 19th century

▪ It was Joseph Osborne’s printing, bookselling, and stationery business from 1870s-c1915

▪ In 1891, Joseph Osborne started publishing The Ashbourne News & Dove Valley Record

▪ It was W. H. Smith & Sons for more than 100 years

▪ Empty since W. H. Smith & Sons closed in 2022

Number 4 is on the south side of the street towards its western end lies between former bank buildings. Note that the building has in the past had the address 6 St John St.

The Building

The Grade II listed building is late 18^th century/early 19^thcentury, is of red brick with a tiled roof. It is three stories high, slightly higher than adjacent buildings with three sashes without glazing bars, painted panelled lintels with key blocks, and plain sills on the first and second floors.  The ground floor shop front is modern. The eaves are brick with projecting headers.

The History of its Occupation and Use

The earliest Land Tax record for 1780 shows a Mr. Wright as the owner and occupierof the premises at this location. This was probably Christopher Wright who passed away in 1787 leaving in his will his “messuage house or tenement” to his son Samuel. Samuel Wright is shown as a cooper in the 1793 commercial directory and from 1796-1822, Samuel Wright is explicitly shown as the owner and occupier. Entries for 1823 and 1824 are missing. Could these missing entries indicate the rebuilding of the premises at this time? Samuel Wright passed away in 1824 and in his will, he left his “messuage dwelling house or tenement” to his wife Elizabeth.

The earliest complete census in 1841 shows that the building was occupied by Samuel Reader Parkes who was a stationer and it is likely that his mother, Ellen, ran the business before him from no later than 1835.

By 1851, Samuel Reader Parkes had moved his business round the corner onto Dig Street. From this date until the early 1870s, the building appears to have had several occupants. In 1861, Sarah Hall and her husband John Hodgson Thompson probably had a confectionary shop there but by 1871 the building was probably occupied by Nathan Wells who was a bootmaker and tobacconist.

From 1874 at the latest, Joseph Osborne opened his printing,bookselling, and stationery business (see photograph below).

By 1880 at the latest, Joseph Osborne’s became the branch office of the Derby Daily Telegraph and the Derby Reporter, and in 1891 he started publishing The Ashbourne News & Dove Valley Record.

After more than 40 years, Joseph Osborne & Son announced that they were “giving up business”:

Replacing Osborne’s in 1916 was W. H. Smith & Sons who ran their newsagent’s and bookseller’s outlet there for more than 100 years before closing in 2022.

The premises are currently vacant.

© PaulThompson 2025