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Line drawing of a narrow courtyard with timber-framed buildings, a woman and child standing in the center, and a small cat.

Cross Keys Inn (Bird’s Yard) 1911

Cross Keys Yard, Magdalene Street, Cambridge

History of Cross Keys Yard, Magdalene Street

1851

Cross Keys Yard:

Matthew Ball, 63, vinegar maker’s clerk, b Hackney

Frances Levitt, 51, house servant, b Lolworth

Magdalen Street: (unnumbered)

William Ingle, 41, ironmonger, b Cambridge

On 15 September 1858 Josiah Chater reports in his diary a fire opposite Magdalen College, next door top Ingle’s.

1861

1.Sarah Blett, 55 college servant, b Cambridge

2.William Ingle, 51, whitesmith, b Cambridge

3.William Addison, 30, cabinet maker, b Cambridge

4.Charles Stearn, 26, labourer, b Histon

5.Charles Gawthrop, 24, brewer’s drayman, b Histon

Old Cross Keys Yard:

Thomas Stubbings, head, 45, brewer’s man, b Carlton

Mary Johnson, head, 64, bedmaker, b Caxton

1874

William Adison, carpenter

Henry Purkis, corn merchant

Gawthorpe, engine driver

Howard, flyman

A water-colour drawing of timber-framed buildings with overhanging upper stories and small windows fronting a cobbled yard.

Cross Keys Magdalene St 1909 (MoC11:92:59)

1913

3.B W Rich

2.Mrs Ready

1.James Evans Silk, coachman


A man stands in a cobbled yard beside a weatherboarded building stacked with numerous wooden barrels, near an open doorway.

Cross Keys Yard, 1920

Cross Keys Yard was home to Messrs W K Bird, a malt vinegar brewer and mustard and potted meat manufacturer, for 105 years before the premises were acquired by Magdalene College in 1915.

Black and white print showing a narrow alleyway with laundry hanging on a line between two buildings, textured with ink lines.

Cross Key’s Yard, print by Rita Genlloud c.1926

By 1932 work was underway on Mallory Court.

A clay pipe with crossed keys embossed on the bowl rests on a blue background next to a carved wooden handle and labels 9 and 18.

Cross keys clay pipe (Museum of Cambridge)

Tags

  • Inn

Projects

  • Magdalene Street
  • Museum Exhibit Stories

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Licence

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 not including content on external links as indicated byexternal link.

Museum Exhibit Stories

14 Newnham Road, Granta Hotel / Inn / Brewery

108 Hills Road, The Osborne Arms (42)

documents

2 Castle Street (100), White Horse Inn, Folk Museum, Museum of Cambridge

5 Magdalene Street

10 Magdalene Street

Tan or Rowley’s Yard, Magdalene Street

28 Magdalene Street

31 (32) Magdalene Street

Old Cross Keys Yard, Magdalene Street

18a Magdalene Street

13 Magdalene Street

19 Magdalene Street

Ekin’s Yard, Magdalene Street