An increase in canine activity meant the Kennel Club
began to run out of suitable office space soon after
canine activities recommenced in 1946. As a stop gap
measure additional space was rented on the Brompton
Road, but this was never seen as either an ideal or
permanent situation. In 1956 the Kennel Club took the
bold decision to acquire the freehold of the adjoining
property, 1 to 3 Clarges Street, which, after having been
raised to the ground during on the last night of the
London blitz, was now new modern offices, and once
again all the Kennel Club’s activities were housed under
one roof.
The Bearded Collie, whilst attracting a small dedicated following, had never gained the universal recognition afforded other Collie varieties, their registrations appearing in a catch all section under the general heading of ‘Any Variety Not Separately Classified’. The war and its privations did little to help this situation, and by the 50s the breed was all but extinct. However this situation was set to change during the decade largely due to the dedication of Mrs Willison BOTHKENNAR and a small band of enthusiasts who set about elevating the Bearded Collie to a more prominent position. By 1957 registrations had reached the required level for the granting of a separate full breed register, and before the end of the decade support was considered sufficient for Championship status to be granted. Today the Beardie, as it is affectionately known, attracts an increasingly dedicated following at all British Championship Shows, and often represents the Pastoral Group at the highest level, even attaining the supreme honour of Best In Show at Cruft’s in 1989.
