54 Bridge Street, The Spread Eagle / The Brown Horse, Stetchworth Dairy

History of 54 Bridge Street

West of Bridge Street in the Nineteenth Century

1649 Elizabeth, widow of Alderman Robert Twelves, sells a tenement on this site, ‘formerly an inn called the Spread Eagle.’

1673-74 not listed in Victuallers’ Book

1729-30 John Johnson, separate entries for ‘at the Sluice’ and brandy licence

1740-59 Susannah, later Mary, Johnson, for Sluice in Holy Sepulchre parish

1752-53 John Tansley (in Anchor 1754) for Brown Horse

1754-68 James Johnson for Brown Horse

1769-1856 not listed

Members of the Sussum family had a market garden on the other side of Bridge Street.

1861

George Sussum, 58, gardener, b Cambridge

1911

Jane Sussum, 69, independent means, b Cambridge

1913

Stetchworth Dairy

C R Alder general manager

Miss Sussum

According to ‘Barnwell at War’ (2018): The Stetchworth Dairy, based in Bridge Street, Cambridge, relied on women from Barnwell and elsewhere to deliver vital milk supplies to the town’s homes.

‘As early as October 1914’, said the newspaper, ‘ the Stetchworth Dairy realised that if their business was to be carried on successfully during the war, women must be employed. Already there were a few girl clerks in the various depots, but when the first two hands were taken on to do other than clerical work two months after the war began, it was little thought that the female staff would grow to the number of 43.

Six girls, as the newspaper called them, worked in the office, eight looked after the cattle on two farms, and some took on laundry work. The remainder attend to the various milk rounds, strenuous work that begins at five o’clock in the morning…..

The Independent Press published the photograph … of three women who worked the milk rounds. One was Charlotte Cunningham who migrated from Ireland, 21 year old Gertrude Dring lived in 8 Occupation Road, and Elizabeth Whitmore was from 30 Newmarket Road.

Cambridge Independent Press article about Stetchworth dairy, 30.5.1919.