71 King Street (1970)(MoC10/89/70)

71 (81, 82), The Mart, King Street, Cambridge

History of 71 King Street

1851

William Mott, groom

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1861

(81)

John Moore, 45, plumber, b Cambridge

(82)

William Mott, 42, groom, b Cambridge

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1881

(81) Gaylor

(82) Luccesi

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1901

(81/82) Beer House

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20 December 1912 – The Mart opens in King Street
King Street acquired an impressive new auction saleroom when Mr J. Winship transformed a former bottling store into “The Mart”. The once bare and poorly lit building was converted into a spacious furniture auction room with a striking red-and-gold frontage surmounted by sixteen-inch gold lettering. Inside, a large skylight, powerful gas lighting, effective ventilation and heating created a modern and comfortable environment for buyers and sellers alike. The auctioneer’s rostrum was carefully designed so that every serious bidder could be seen clearly during sales. The opening reflected the growing commercial confidence of King Street in the years immediately before the First World War and demonstrated how older industrial premises could be successfully adapted for new commercial purposes.
Source: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge King Street Scrapbook 1897–1990, Item: 12 12 20b.

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1913 The Mart

J Winship, auctioneer

28 February 1913 – Winship’s new auction rooms begin trading
The first furniture sale at J. Winship’s newly completed Mart in King Street marked the beginning of a new approach to auctioneering in Cambridge. Addressing customers, Mr J. Winship junior explained that the business would only hold sales when there was genuine demand and would not purchase stock simply to resell it. Furniture left unsold would be stored free of charge, insured against fire, and protected within heated premises by a system of hot-water pipes designed to keep items in excellent condition. These guarantees reflected increasingly professional standards within the auction trade and demonstrate how Cambridge businesses were adopting modern customer service practices in the years before the First World War.
Source: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge King Street Scrapbook 1897–1990, Item: 13 02 28 CIP.

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1927

Hollimans, removal firm. Jack Holliman was remembered in the CEN as a ‘Salvation Army man who used to supply a removal van for the Cherry Hinton Free Church Sunday School outing to Col Gray’s on the Gogs’ annually.

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9 May 1936 – Holliman’s promotes cash furniture sales
A newspaper advertisement encouraged Cambridge residents to buy furniture outright rather than on hire purchase. Holliman’s King Street Furniture Galleries claimed that customers purchasing for cash could be confident that their homes and furnishings were truly their own, while the firm’s delivery vans were presented as a symbol of financial prudence rather than debt. The advertisement provides an interesting commentary on consumer attitudes during the Depression, when many retailers competed over the merits of cash purchases versus instalment payments.
Source: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge King Street Scrapbook 1897–1990, Item: 36 05 09.

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2 November 1956 – Holliman celebrates thirty-three years in King Street
An advertisement by W. Holliman & Sons highlighted the firm’s long association with Morris vehicles, every pantechnicon purchased since 1926 having been a Morris. It also recalled that the King Street Furniture Galleries had become Cambridge’s first “walk round showrooms” when the business moved there from Mill Road in 1923. The advertisement combined promotion of the firm’s removal business with a brief history of its King Street premises.

Source: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge King Street Scrapbook 1897–1990, Item: 56 11 02a.

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1962

J Holliman & Sons, house furnishers