17 Harnet Street Not the blue plaque tour of...
Transcript of 17 Harnet Street Not the blue plaque tour of...
17 HarnetStreet The Golden Crust Bakery coffeehouse (now no. 38) was the first to serve real
coffeeinSandwich.TheenterprisewasnotduetoSandwich’sproximitytothecontinent,butthecustomofdiscerningJewishrefugeesfromtheRichboroughKitchener camp. Independent coffee shops continue to thrive in the town, asignifierofsurvivinggoodtaste.
18 BreezyCorner Isitreallythatdraughtyhere?OrcouldthisbenamedaftertheFrenchMarshal,
PierredeBrézé,wholedtheattackonSandwichin1457andsackedthisareaoftown?
19 MarketStreet Ahubforshopsandtrades,fittingitsname.Sandwichboastsalonglineageof
watchmakers,manyofthemtradingfrompremisesinthisstreet.‘Thesignofthegoldenkey’aboveRegalEstatesservedtoadvertisethewaresofWalterAkhurst’sironmonger’sshop(asdidthebuilding’scomic‘toolsofthetrade’statues),andlater The Golden Key Hotel, before being adopted by the equally appropriateestateagents.Shopdoormats inthetowncanhidedecorativeentrances: lookunderfootatno.19forF.H.Jacobs,ironmonger,chinaandglassdealer,whoalsopublishedearlypicturepostcardsofthetown.
Not the blue plaque tour
of SandwichcompiledbySoniaOverall
withthankstoJohnHennessy,JanCooper,SandwichLocalHistorySociety
andSandwichGuildhallArchivesfortheirlocalknowledgeandassistance
writtensources:Clarke,H.,Pearson,S.,Mate,M.&Parfitt,K.Sandwich.OxbowBooks,2010.EnglishHeritage&KCC.Sandwich,KentHistoricTownsSurvey.ArchaeologicalAssessmentDocument,2009Kelly’sDirectory:1895;1899;1907;1922.Martin,E.OccupationsofthePeopleofSandwich.SandwichLocalHistorySociety,1978Pain’sDirectory:1938;1948
1 TheQuay Nowalandscapedparkandplayarea,thereclaimedspaceherewasn’talwaysso
greenandpleasant.Thiswasoncethesiteofashipbuilder’syard,ablacksmith’sforgeandby1839,theSandwichCorporationGasWorks.
2 HighStreet PelicaneHousewasthetown’smunitionsbuilding; thechequerboardflintand
castellatedrooflinetheflexingarchitecturalmusclesofastrong-house.Rumourhas it that this area is honeycombed with smuggling tunnels running into StPeter’sChurch.WhenalandlordofthenearbyAdmiralOwenattemptedtopumpout his flooded cellar, he soon discovered that he had set himself the task ofdrainingwaterfromhisneighbours’cellarstoo…
3 HolyGhostAlley InmatesfromtheoldGaoloppositewouldwalkthroughthisalleytoaday’slabour
onthetowntreadmill.Thealley’ssuddenbendissaidtohavebeenemployedbylocalprankstersavengingthemselvesonanunpopularteacher,andasausefulbluffforsmugglerspursuedbyexcisemen.
4 LoveLane NowknownforthemostpartasStPeter’sStreet,thisaptly-namedareawasthe
siteofthemedieval‘stews’ofSandwich.Thetownwasrareinhavingamunicipalbrothel or ‘galey’, something usually reserved for cities. You can still find ‘LoveLane’signageattheStrandStreetend.
5 KingStreet DutchandFlemishrooflinesareevidentabovebuildingshere-asarethepainted
advertisementsforMartin,cakeandbreadmaker,stilllegibleoverno.30.
6 NewStreet Inthe14thCentury,AugustiniancannonscouldbeseenwalkingfromStThomas’
Hospital, sited here, to the chantry chapel in St Peter’s Church. Their regularshortcutgavethenametoAustin’s(Augustine’s)Lane.
7 Guildhall Animpressivefocalpointforthetown,theGuildhallhadoriginsinamoremodest
MootHallwhichstoodinthechurchyardofStPeter’s.TheforecourtwaspartofCornmarket,themarketitselftakingplaceonWednesdayafternoonsintheFleurdeLispub.
8 CattleMarket Pens,stallsandastockringstoodherebeforethecarparkanddoctor’ssurgery.
ThenearbyRedCowservedtheagriculturaltraders:thewallandemptywindowsnextdoorarestarkremindersoftheworkhouse,demolishedinthe1890s.
11 TanneryLaneandLoopStreet Thisareaboastedthearomasofanabattoir,tanneryandbone-buttonfactory,all
locatedinrathersinisterproximitytoHorsePondSluice.
12 ChurchStreetStMary’s StMary’sparishwasthe ‘rough’partofSandwich,housingpoorly-paiddrovers
fromthecattlemarket.ThisstreetwasonceknownlocallyasBloodandThunderAlley due to the number of brawls on the ‘green’ by the church. Poverty wasaconcernwell intothe1900s.Abreaddole,prepared inthebakehouseatthecorneroftheKing’sHead,wasdistributedbyStMary’sChurchtothepooroftheparish.ThelargeovenswerealsousedbylocalresidentstoroastSundayjointsandChristmasdinners.
13 ParadiseRow Giventhename,it’snosurprisethatthisbackstreetisrumouredtohaveserveda
similarfunctiontoLoveLane.
14 StrandStreet Famed for its timber-framed houses and once the medieval port’s waterfront.
The merchants who lived here were great importers of wine: so many winebarrelswererolledalongthisstreetthatanorderwasgivenfortheremovalofallmetalbarrel-rims.Theconstanttrafficwasbreakinguptheroad.Appropriately,Three Kings Yard served as a public house, its distinctive ‘bridge’, carved withgrapevines, providing access for coaches. Did those wine barrels roll into theNormanmerchant’scellarnextdoor?Thelong-standingtraditionofbrewinginthetownwasalsotobefoundinthisstreet.TheEastKentBreweryCompany,lastofthemanySandwichbrewers,operatedfromGuestlingMill-partofwhichissaidtocontainastretchofthemedievaltownwall.
15 BowlingStreet Bowlingwasaregulatedactivityinthe16thCentury:thecombinationofgaming
and drinking distracted the lower classes from work and archery practice.HenryVIII,akeenbowler, leviedtaxesonbowlingalleys toexcludeallbut thewealthiestplayers.GaminglawswereeasilywinkedatandSandwichhadatleastonebowlingalleyatthesignoftheWhiteHartinStrandStreet,probablysitedopposite Bowling Street. There were certainly plenty of taverns in this area toaccommodatewould-begamers.
16 DelfStreet Industrythrivedhere,includingafamed19thCenturyironfoundry.Atradesman
makingpipesinthisstreetcannilycarvedhissignintotheshuttersofClaypipes:nextdoor,Cobbler’sCottagestillboastsanearlyVictorianshopfront.Acrosstheroad,thesignoftheMaltShovelHouserevealsthepremisesofapub.TheparishboundarysignofStPeter’sandStMary’scanbeseenpaintedonthewallhere,delineatingresponsibilityforthepoorofthetown.(AgrandercounterpartforStClement’sandStPeter’siscutintostoneinthefarwealthierHighStreet.)
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9 MoatSole Inthe1970s,residentsofarentedcottageherewerepuzzledbytheunexplained
soundofchildrensinging,aneventwhichoccurredeverySeptember.Thesinginghalted abruptly whenever investigated. When a handwritten book of hymnsfromStPeter’sChurchChoirwasfoundinalocalbookshop,oneofthetunes-adistinctivereworkingofTheHollyandtheIvy-matchedthesingingexactly.Thehymnbookdatedfromthe1890s.Presumablythesingersdid,too.
10 TheButts TheButtswasusedtopracticearcheryskills,andissaidtohaveservedasarange
forthelongbowmenofHenryVbeforeAgincourt.Lesswell-knownisthefield’suseasanencampmentforplaguevictims.Followingoutbreaks inthe1600s,asmallvillageofplaguetentswaspitchedhere,overseenbyacourageouson-sitedoctor.