The Radiator Centre was founded in St Albans, where our office and showroom are located on Holywell Hill. If you’re thinking about coming to visit our showroom to look at our range of designer radiators, we thought it might be a nice idea to introduce you to a few of our neighbours so you can plan to do a bit of shopping at the same time.
Most of the shops in Holywell Hill are small independents, some are affordable through to high-end and exclusive, and one even houses a historic surprise…
Pots of Art
Combining art with history, this is the place where adults and kids alike can get crafty with pottery painting, decopatch, building a bear and other activities. However, the building houses something special: an ancient mural depicting Venus and Adonis which dates back to Shakespeare’s time. The mural was probably painted around 1600 and has been described by a leading art historian as a priceless national treasure. “There is no Elizabethan wall painting of better artistic quality outside the great houses like Hampton Court.” The mural was uncovered in the 1980s and is now on display to the public whenever the shop is open.
Jane Cheel Furniture
If you’re looking for bespoke cabinets and furniture to match your designer radiators, it’s worth visiting Jane Cheel’s showroom which is just a couple of doors down: your new designer radiators may not be the biggest talking point of your renovated home after all!
Humphrey Munson
If you’re after a high-end designer kitchen, visit Humphrey Munson’s showroom which is next door to Jane Cheel’s. However, it’s open by appointment only, so if you’re just browsing, it’s probably best to stick to the gallery on the website.
Rock Pop Candy
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, then a shop that sells a huge range of traditional and retro sweets is bound to appeal. The shop also imports sweets from America, Australia/New Zealand and South Africa, so if you’re an expat with a hankering for what you used to be able to buy back home, or just someone curious to see what makes people from other countries go misty-eyed at sweet memories, this shop could be worth a visit.
Simply French
One of our immediate neighbours is Simply French, a clothes shop that specialises in Parisian fashion.
The Specs Factory
If you need a new pair of designer glasses but don’t want to pay designer prices, The Specs Factory sells premium quality, branded glasses at discounted rates.
Cositas
If you’re looking for unusual gifts or homeware, have a browse for inspiration in Cositas. They also do workshops in furniture painting and making unique decorative objects for your home.
Looking for somewhere to eat?
Chi
If you fancy Chinese, Chi offers authentic cuisine freshly made from premium ingredients.
The Peahen
High-end pub grub is available at The Peahen. Although the current building was built at the end of the 19th century, there has been a Peahen pub on this site since 1480
The White Hart
The building this hotel and restaurant is housed in has survived intact since it was built in 1470. The restaurant offers seasonal food and uses locally-sourced ingredients.
Café Rouge
The St Albans branch of Café Rouge is notable for being housed in a Grade II listed Art Deco building, which is an exhibition hall built by its former owner Ryder Seeds.
Per Tutti
If you’d rather eat Italian, Per Tutti is a small family-run restaurant specialising in a range of home cooked pastas, pizzas, meat and fish.
We hope this has given you an idea of just some of our retailers and food neighbours along Holywell Hill. There are many more to discover – it’s well worth the journey!
