The changing face of Retford – our home town

Retford - local town of Ballards Removals

Reflecting on some of the changes we’ve seen in Retford – moving with the times!

Ballards Removals, our family business, has evolved massively since its formation, and we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on some of the changes we’ve seen in our local town of Retford over the time we’ve been in business. Retford has changed a lot too, from an industrial and mining town, to a modern, multi-faceted community.

Richard and Janette, the founders, and their children and grandchildren are born and bred in the area, and currently all live close by in East Markham. Richard attended East Markham Primary School the children went there and now the grandchildren too!

Here are a few of the places in Retford that we know well.

Hallcroft Industrial Estate

This is where it really all started for Ballards Removals. We started up in business in 1978 with 2 delivery vans, and expanded it steadily until 1989, when we raised the finance to purchase a plot of land in the Hallcroft area of Retford and built our first Removals and Storage Warehouse there. We’ve expanded and relocated the business a couple of times since then but Hallcroft is still important to us, a busy industrial estate, with a predominance of local businesses specialising in everything from auto parts, electrics, tyres and servicing to print and signage and even popcorn manufacture, alongside some nationally known names.

Spencer’s on the Square

Henry Spencer’s auction house was once one of the biggest and busiest in the UK, situated on Retford’s historic market square. We had the pleasure of working with them for many years, collecting and delivering furniture and other items sold at auction. In 2015, after the closure of the auction house, we were delighted to see the conversion of this beautiful building into a new bar and restaurant. We still visit occasionally and can recommend it, it’s a great meeting place in the heart of Retford. See more information here.

The Old Police Station

The old Retford Police Station was built in the late 19th century and, had until recently, stood empty for over 100 years. We always felt a connection to it as Janette used to be a special constable! The building is a familiar sight on Exchange Street and, after a complete refurbishment, it re-opened in 2018 as the Kings Park Hotel and The Old Police Station Restaurant and Bar. With a unique atmosphere, particularly if you book a table in one of the old cells, this is another great addition to the town centre. Find out more here.

Housing developments in Retford

Retford is a popular place to live and the 90 minute commute to London has brought a lot of new people to the area – we know from experience as we’ve helped many of them to move! This has led to new housing developments in Retford, like Valley View and Fairways Park for example. New homes are also planned at the former Bevercotes Colliery site (where Richard used to work prior to setting up Ballards Removals) so there is a lot of movement into and around Retford – it all helps to keep us busy!

Ballards Removal Company in Retford

Apart from carrying out many house removals in Retford we do a lot of work for local business, including local solicitors and estate agents. They all know us well, and we often liaise with them directly to help our mutual customers have a smooth move and help with any questions or queries they may have. We’ve also helped several Retford based businesses to relocate, including Brown and Co Estate agents.

We’ve also carried out many delivery contracts for local companies over the years and we are a trusted service provider to Rampton Secure hospital. We’ve been carrying out ward moves for them for over 30 years, moving beds, furniture equipment and patients’ belongings in a carefully controlled environment.

As a business, we believe in supporting other local businesses and source products and services locally where possible. We like to help specific local charities, hospices and other organisations when we can. As a family, we use Retford’s facilities all the time, from shopping, to keeping fit at the gym and we like to use the local coffee shops and eateries from time to time too.

So in Retford some things change and some remain much the same, we really enjoy living and working in Retford, and we look forward to providing Removal and Storage services for the people of Retford and surrounding areas for many years to come.

Picture of Retford Town Hall, derived from File:Retford_Town_Hall,_May_2012.JPG , taken by Tghe-retford, available on Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0.

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