A stroll down New Road - Odds 35 to 77
Map Data: Purple - Early Cottage Names / Blue - Current Cottage Names / Green - Buildings on 1880 OS Map / Pink - Buildings since 1914 OS Map
Alleyway between numbers 35 & 37
Between No. 35 and No. 37 is an alleyway which connects New Road with the footpath which runs down the back of the houses on this side between The Green and Barton Way and also acts as a short cut into the ex-Dickinson’s Sports Ground.
I suspect that this was protected or created when the remainder of the plot was developed, as it would otherwise have severed any access direct from New Road into Dickinson’s Sports Ground. It would also give useful access if No,35 was, in fact, a groundsman’s house.
A path of some sort can be clearly seen on the extract of the 1871 map above. Are they related?
On the 1891 census, Nos, 37 & 39 are listed under the title “Nos. 1&2 Victoria’s Villas”, No. 1 (now No. 39) being occupied by Stephen Wrightman, an Esparto Grass Boiler – obviously employed at the Dickinson’s Paper Mill nearby. We could see no hint of this name on either of the cottages today.
The 1930 Kelly’s shows No.39 as occupied by William E. Jewel, a Boot Repairer
No. 41 was listed in the same 1891 census under the name of “Ormonde House”, occupied by one Alfred Landon, an agent for the “Canal Carrying Company” and by 1906 it was listed as being occupied by Dr Alan Ransford, surgeon and physician.
Nos. 43 & 45 had the name “Cambridge Cottages” – yet another earlier name which seems, now, to have fallen onto disuse.
Further along, No. 55 was at one time occupied by Walter Rance, who was described in the 1891 census as Foreman at the Paper Mill, aged 43.
I suspect that this was protected or created when the remainder of the plot was developed, as it would otherwise have severed any access direct from New Road into Dickinson’s Sports Ground. It would also give useful access if No,35 was, in fact, a groundsman’s house.
A path of some sort can be clearly seen on the extract of the 1871 map above. Are they related?
On the 1891 census, Nos, 37 & 39 are listed under the title “Nos. 1&2 Victoria’s Villas”, No. 1 (now No. 39) being occupied by Stephen Wrightman, an Esparto Grass Boiler – obviously employed at the Dickinson’s Paper Mill nearby. We could see no hint of this name on either of the cottages today.
The 1930 Kelly’s shows No.39 as occupied by William E. Jewel, a Boot Repairer
No. 41 was listed in the same 1891 census under the name of “Ormonde House”, occupied by one Alfred Landon, an agent for the “Canal Carrying Company” and by 1906 it was listed as being occupied by Dr Alan Ransford, surgeon and physician.
Nos. 43 & 45 had the name “Cambridge Cottages” – yet another earlier name which seems, now, to have fallen onto disuse.
Further along, No. 55 was at one time occupied by Walter Rance, who was described in the 1891 census as Foreman at the Paper Mill, aged 43.
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Rear of number 55
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In the 1901 Kelly’s, and again in 1906, it was listed as being occupied by “W Rance, Furniture Dealer”, in the 1913 edition by “Walter Rance, Cowkeeper and Dairyman” and in 1920 by “Walter Rance, General Dealer”. If all of these entries are correct and apply to the same person, and we have no reason to suspect that they don’t, then he had a remarkably varied career!
The above advert from a 1910 edition of the All Saints magazine confirms that he was a Cowkeeper and Dairyman at the time.
Some of the original old outbuildings serve as the boundary to the footpath along the rear of the property and one local resident assured me that they were used originally to house cows and milking equipment when the property was a dairy. (see picture above)
A “W Rance” is also commemorated on one of the foundation stones of the Methodist church dated December 1892 (see the entry at the beginning of our walk along the even numbered side later on).
Within the fifteen dwellings currently numbered from No. 49 to 77, in addition to the Mill Foreman just mentioned, the 1891 census indicated that there were five Paper Makers, a Paper Making Engineer, a Paper Sorter and a Beaterman ( responsible for adding the raw materials to hot water to make a pulp ready for paper making) – i.e. 60% connected with the Mill. And this appears to have been reflected up and down this road and probably in the other roads that existed in the area at the time. It is easy, therefore, to understand the major impact that the presence of Dickinson’s Mill must have had on the area from just a short length of cottages and houses in this immediate vicinity.
The above advert from a 1910 edition of the All Saints magazine confirms that he was a Cowkeeper and Dairyman at the time.
Some of the original old outbuildings serve as the boundary to the footpath along the rear of the property and one local resident assured me that they were used originally to house cows and milking equipment when the property was a dairy. (see picture above)
A “W Rance” is also commemorated on one of the foundation stones of the Methodist church dated December 1892 (see the entry at the beginning of our walk along the even numbered side later on).
Within the fifteen dwellings currently numbered from No. 49 to 77, in addition to the Mill Foreman just mentioned, the 1891 census indicated that there were five Paper Makers, a Paper Making Engineer, a Paper Sorter and a Beaterman ( responsible for adding the raw materials to hot water to make a pulp ready for paper making) – i.e. 60% connected with the Mill. And this appears to have been reflected up and down this road and probably in the other roads that existed in the area at the time. It is easy, therefore, to understand the major impact that the presence of Dickinson’s Mill must have had on the area from just a short length of cottages and houses in this immediate vicinity.
Ethel Villas 2006
The next door pair of cottages, Nos. 57&59, bear a plaque with the name “Ethel Villas” and the date 1889 and they appear to me to be the originals.
The 1891 census shows the next block of three cottages numbered 61 to 65 to have been named “Stanley Cottages”. There is nothing currently on site which displays this name and I don’t know when it was dropped.
Next is a block of six cottages, Nos. 67 to 77.
The 1891 census shows the next block of three cottages numbered 61 to 65 to have been named “Stanley Cottages”. There is nothing currently on site which displays this name and I don’t know when it was dropped.
Next is a block of six cottages, Nos. 67 to 77.
Numbers 67 to 77 in 2006
