University of Cambridge coat of arms

172 Hills Road, Penwith, Cambridge

History of 172 Hills Road

1891

Richard H Solly, 39, demonstrator in Mineralogy Univ. of Cambridge, born London

Annette J, 49, born London

Annie Day, 25, cook, born Cambridge

Ruth Bendall, 24, parlourmaid, born Horningsea

Eleanor M Brett, 16, housemaid, born Cambridge

Richard Harrison Solly (1851-1925) was son of Samuel Solly, chief surgeon and lecturer at St Thomas’s Hospital. Richard went to Cambridge in 1880 and in 1883 was appointed Demonstrator. he published ‘An elementary introduction to mineralogy’ in 1894, but having been published without the consent of his professor, Solly was forced to resign. For some years he lived abroad in Italy and Switzerland collecting minerals. He became the expert on the Binnenthal area of Switzerland; much of the best of his mineral collection is preserved at the British Museum.

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1901

Harford Green, 41, Provisions Merchant, born Stansted

Hannah M, 46, born Stansted

Henry L, 10, born Ashford Kent

Ursula M, 8, born Stansted

Hannah H, 5, born Stansted

Edith M Batterby, servant, 21, housemaid

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1911

Cephas Luther Edwards 50, commercial traveller cocoa and chocolate, born Wilts

Automella 53, born Dover

Frederick Wallace, 22, 2nd class assistant, British Museum Natural History, born Fletton

Wilfred Norman, 20, student, born Fletton

Donald Luther, 17, stduent, born Fletton

Dorothy Ruth, 9, born Gt Shelford

Charlotte Stevens, visitor, 38, assistant teacher elementary school Cambs County Council, born Oxon

Florence Mary Williams, visitor, 26, born Cambridge

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1915 -1920 (Spalding’s):

Charles Ray

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1922-23 (Spalding’s):

Percy Charles Gray (1908-1996) lived here with his parents. He went on to become a leading auctioneer and valuer in Cambridge after WWII, contributing to the success of the family firm of estate agents, Gray, Son and Cook. He was an expert on antique silver and catalogued the collections of several Cambridge Colleges.

Percy’s parents were Percy W. Gray (1871-1937) and Claudine S Strange (1870-c.1964). Percy W. was a celebrated cricketer, at one time reputed to have been the only person to have hit a six out of the grounds at Lords. The Strange family produced several generations of boat builders in Linton; family tradition says that they built several of the early ‘eights’ for the Varsity boat race.