62 / 64 Gwydir Street

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C Brown of 62/64 Gwydir Street doing his round in Cottenham (photo E Smith)

History of 62 Gwydir Street

1871 Unnumbered

Herbert J Watson, 27, grocer and provisions merchant, b Cambridge

Louisa, 28, b Cambridge

Arthur, 1, b Over

Elizabeth A Giffen, 21, servant, b Meldreth

Walter P Dodson, 15, grocer’s apprentice, b Swavesey

1881 (62 & 64)

Herbert J Watson, head, 37, grocer and provisioner 3 hands, b Cambridge

Louise C, wife, 38, b Cambridge

Arthur W, son, 11, scholar, b Over

Sidney H, son, 6, scholar, b Cambridge

Florence L, 2, b Cambridge

Herbert P, 9 mos, b Cambridge

Edward W Tebbit, lodger, 24, grocer’s assistant, b Burwell

Samuel Tebbit, lodger, 20, grocer’s assistant, b Bourne

Charles Rayment, lodger, 17, grocer’s assistant, b Madingley

Eliza J Pink, 14, nursemaid, b Longstanton

Adelaide Simmons, 15, servant, b Teversham

1891

(62)

James R Bennett, head, 31, tailors assistant, b Cambridge

Adelaide, wife, 28, b Cambridge

Arthur C, son, 7, scholar, b Cambridge

Helena L, daughter, 5, scholar, b Cambridge

Frederick Furbank, cousin, 17, tailor’s improver, b Cambridge

(64)

Alfred J Phillips, head, 26, dairyman, b Essex

Elizabeth, wife, 30, b Essex

Herbert H S, son, 11 mos, b Cambridge

Mary Reading, servant, 18, b London

Ernest Turner, 18, assistant dairyman, b Essex

1901 (62 & 64)

Charles Brown, 46, hardware merchant, b Surrey

Clara, 40, b Cambridge

Eliza 20, assistant to her father, b essex

Robert, 18, assistant, b Essex

Crissie, 13, assistant, b Essex

Willie, 6, b Cambridge

William, brother, 30, assistant to Charles Brown, b Cambridge

Maria, mother, 72, b London

Browns of Gwydir Street would visit Cottenham every week.

1904 Charles Brown

1909 CIP 6.8.1909: Before the Mayor (in the chair). H. M. Taylor, J. Taylor, and J. O. Vinter, Esqs. Sequel to a Collision. Charles Brown, hardware merchant, 62, Gwydir-street was summoned by Mr. K. H. H. Whitehead, solicitor, Cambridge for not having a light attached to his vehicle in Victoria-avenue on July 29th.

Mr. S. J. Miller defended, and pleaded not guilty.

Evidence was given by the plaintiff, who said there was no light on defendant’s vehicle. Witness was riding a motor-cycle, on his right side of the road, and a collision occurred, witness’s left leg being hurt. He afterwards saw defendant get down from his van and light his lamp. P.c. Wright appeared on the scene, and witness complained to him that defendant had had no light at the time of the collision.

Reginald Bowd, of 20, Chesterton-road. deposed to seeing the accident, and said there was no light on the cart. The saw defendant light his lamp.

Defendant said he was driving a pair-horse van towards Cambridge in Victoia-avenue. When he was coming down the incline of the bridge he saw a motor bicycle approaching very fast on the wrong side. Witness put the brake on and pulled his horses up. As the cycle still kept on he shouted out, and the cycle went across his horses struck the off-side animal, and went on to the pavement. Witness thought the cycle was going at 30 miles an hour. He went across to see if could help Mr. Whitehead, who said “Where were you?’ Witness said “Where were you? If it hadn’t been for me hollering out you would have been killed.’’ After a while Mr. Whitehead got up and looked at the horse, which he said he did not think he had hurt very much. He also asked witness if he had a light, and witness replied, “Yes, a good one.’’ The light was burning then. Witness denied lighting any lamp. Mr. Whitehead gave witness a card and said, “Come to my office and I will make it right with you.” Witness went to the office, and saw Mr. Whitehead and his father, whom he told that his horse was lame and that he should expect compensation. Mr. Whitehead asked about the bicycle, and witness said they would have to pay for that. Mr. Whitehead asked if witness had seen the police report, which he said was very much against him (defendant), and that the police were going to prosecute him for not having a light.

P.c. Wright said that on evening he was in the Mammoth Show grounds when he heard a commotion in the Victoria-avenue. He heard a man shout and a sound as though a motor had gone on to the pavement. He looked over the boards and saw defendant’s van, which had a light on, and someone on the pavement.

P.c. Ray, of the County Constabulary, said he saw defendant pass him below the bridge, and there was a light on the van then.

Frederick William Newman, labourer, of Sedgwick-street, deposed to being on the bridge when defendant passed. The lamp was alight then.

The Chairman said the magistrates were unanimously of opinion that it was no use going on with the case, which was thereupon dismissed.

1911

Frank Morrison, 39, butcher, b Worthing

Gertrude, 39, b Hull

Reggie, 18, butcher, b King’s Lynn

Percy, 15, b London

Evelyn, 9, b Swanage

William Lenman, lodger, 19, fish merchant, b Cambridge

Crissee [Clarissa] Lenman, lodger, 19, wife, b Cambridge

1913

Charles Brown

Charles Brown 62 Gwydir Street c.1910 in Cottenham (Cambs Collection)

1939

The site was demolished during World War Two.

1962

A A Whitehead, fruit merchants

A.A. Whitehead’s shop at 64 Gwydir Street. Photo from the Cambridge Evening News 1963.04.25

Excerpt from Hazel’s memories from when she lived at no. 64 Gwydir Street

When we first arrived, number 62 didn’t exist next door. It was a bombed site (from a bomb blast which mainly demolished houses (and the Methodist church) in Sturton Street in WW2). My brother, Roy who is two years younger than me, and I would rummage through the bricks and rubble in the hope of finding some treasure. Other evidence of WW2 was a large S on The Beaconsfield Club building on the corner of Gwydir and Milford Street (which no longer exists and the site is now a block of flats). The S was for shelter, I believe.

Later on, when the 62 site was developed as commercial premises in the 1960’s (initially fruit importers) on more than one occasion, Roy and I found very large spiders which had come in on the banana boxes and had made their way into our courtyard. Businesses there were A.A. Whitehead, Portages, and later, paint distributers Porch, before the site was redeveloped into four town houses.

Hear more of Hazel’s memories of Gwydir Street here.

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