James Nutter (Widnall)

Vine Cottage, The Nursery House, Grantchester

History of Vine Cottage

The story of the Widnall family is told in detail by Christine Jennings in, Widnall – A Capital Contriver, 2003.

1815 Nursery House was built for the Widnall family, Samuel and Elizabeth. They had married in 1814. Elizabeth Freeman was a farmer’s daughter from Little Abington.

1825 Christmas Day. Samuel Page Widnall born. At the time his grandmother and great aunt were living nearby in Yew Garth. Samuel Widnall was a nursery man, gaining a a reputation for growing hybrids of the recently introduced dahlia. According to Jennings the father came from the Lincs/Notts border country and started farming on the southern edge of Cambridge on land owned by Trinity Hall which was later developed into New Town. His knowledge of Botany may well have come from his friendship with the curator of the University Botanic Gardens nearby. This was Arthur Biggs.

The garden in Grantchester started off with just over 2 acres; by 1830 it was probably around 6. It was a population destination and Widnall advertised ‘upwards of 160 varieties of DOUBLE DAHLIAS…’ By the mid 1830s he was able to charge half a guinea or more for each plant.

1834 Page Widnall taken for a journey by his father to Nottingham.

---

1840 Samuel Widnall posted 193 letters on the first day of the Penny Post. The Royal Agricultural Society held a show at parker’s Pieces in Cambridge. Widnall won numerous prizes, not only for his dahlias; his profits were £448 18s 6d. He presented £450 to Addenbrookes Hospital and was made a Life Governor.

---

1843 There was a disastrous storm. Five thousand square feet of glass was broken and crops flattened. Widnall’s losses were around £1,000.

---

1845 Widnall set up a display of flowers at Cambridge railway station.

---

1848 Samuel Widnall died on 20th February, two days after a trip to London.

---

1849 Widnall and Davis opened a seed shop at 21 King’s Parade. This was Tom Davis, Page’s future brother in law.

---

1850 marriages of Page Widnall to Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Smith, and of Tom Davis to Anne Smith.  Page and Lizzie went to South Wales for their honeymoon.

---

1853

Widnall family move into the Old Vicarage from the Nursery House.

Page Widnall decided to rename the property Vine Cottage with a much reduced garden. On the former nursery garden he built a new 5 bedroomed house called Riversdale.

---

1859

Vine Cottage sold to Miss Fowke for £520.

---

1881

James Nutter Jnr, unmarried, 31, miller corn, b Grantchester

Ruth Nutter, sister, unmarried, 28, student,  b Grantchester

Emily Male, servant,  29, b Fulbourn

---

Occupied by Mr Baker

---

1891

James Nutter, 42, married, corn miller, b Grantchester

Anie Elizabeth Nutter, wife, 36, b Essex

Katee, 8, b Grantchester

Hannah, 6, b Grantchester

James, 5, b Grantchester,

Edward, 8 months, b Grantchester

Bessie Harriet Squire, governess, 21, b London

Lucy Maria Lowe, 16, servant,  b Grantchester

In 1890 [?] James Nutter moved to 15 Lyndewode Road.

---

1904

James Nutter returned and renamed the house Lyndewode. He died in 1942 at the age of 92; his son Jimmy died in 1949.