Our Story
Our Heritage
in Bath
Still a family business run by the Hayes family
TR Hayes has been in Bath since 1915, starting in Widcombe, before
moving to its present site at the top of Walcot Street in the 1920s
Thomas Richard Hayes was a chair maker in Bethnall Green in London in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, but moved to Bath in 1915 to escape the wartime bombing.
He set up a furniture workshop and retail business in the Widcombe area of the city.
Chair manufacturing took a back seat during the war as TR Hayes also manufactured the
special wooden parts for early aircraft; their skill in forming wood for chairs was well
suited to making such parts.
After the war, the furniture shop grew from strength to strength and TR Hayes expanded into furniture removals. Their first motor vehicle was a Model ‘T’ Ford van which cost £185, had a top speed of 15 miles an hour!
The business moved to Walcot street in 1927, originally occupying just one unit, formerly The Three Crowns public house (you can still see traces of its past inside, with ornate plaster work depicting grapes in the main entrance area).
Over the years the Hayes family acquired neighbouring premises expanding the business both sideways, upwards and backwards - the main store now extends back to include 7 floors of furniture, the Carpet Department, Curtain and Blind Department, as well as the administrative offices.
The driveway between the mainstore buildings pictured above leads to our CUSTOMER CAR PARK, extremely useful when visiting the store as Bath is a very busy city.
Opposite is the smart Contemporary Showroom with a further 2 floors of exceptional contemporary furniture. This was re-built in recent years by the Hayes family, as the original building had become pretty derelict, athough it had served the company well since the 1960s. We rather like the new building’s columns which give a nod to Bath’s famous Roman heritage.
We are proud to be a major stockist of Stressless® recliner chairs and sofas, and our showcase Stressless® gallery can be found on the ground floor of the Contemporary Showroom.
The main store is a veritable tardis inside - the interior opens out with extensive displays of sofas and chairs, dining room collections and occasional furniture.
We are particularly proud to be key stockists of ercol, an iconic British brand which needs no introduction. The ercol Gallery is towards the rear of the ground floor.
As you walk around you will find many rooms of sofa displays with brands such as Parker Knoll, G Plan and Tetrad on display. Amongst these displays are all sorts of occasional pieces, which really help to finish a room.
Make your way up to the top 2 floors to discover a wide selection of bedroom furniture, including various fitted wardrobe systems - invaluable to help with the perennial problem of storage in our homes.
If you think you have seen everything while you browsed the main building, think again!
Make your way to the rear of the store and head downstairs where you will find large displays of beds and mattresses.
Our feature glazed gallery room (another historic building) houses our Vispring collections. We are one of the few retailers to have virtually all the Vispring beds on display, from the Elite all the way up to the fabulous Signatory model.
We are also stockists of Hypnos, Harrison Spinks, Relyon and Sleepeezee beds amongst others, with Tempur’s new collection recently added to the fold.
This is all just the tip of the icecap; our Carpet and Flooring department is highly regarded and well worth a visit. We have 100s of samples on display and experienced staff to help you navigate what can be a rather daunting purchase.
And don’t forget our Curtain and Blind department which has recently relocated to the rear of the gound floor. We offer made-to-measure curtains, and can supply fabric from many of the leading deisgn houses such as Sanderson, Morris & Co, Prestigious Textiles, Designer’s Guild, Colefax & Fowler and more. If it’s blinds you are after we can supply all types of blinds, including motorized blinds and Plantation Shutters.
TR Hayes - the heart of Bath and the heart of your home