27 Petty Cury, Cambridge

History of 27 Petty Cury

1841 unnumbered

Mary Favell, 50, independent
Elizabeth Baye, 45, independent
Mary Ann Webb, 25, independent
Sarah Banyard, 25, servant
Elizabeth Rickman, 25, servant

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1851

James Pryor, fishmonger & poulterer, 49, Sidney Street Cambridge
Esther, 40, Hereford,
James, 15, New Square Cambridge
Harriet, 11, Fitzroy Street
William, 9, Fitzroy Street
Esther, 8, born Belmont Place,
John, 6, born Willow Walk
Frederick, 2, born Petty Cury
Ann, 2 mos, born Petty Cury
Emma Goodwin, servant, 20

James Pryor advertised himself as ‘late coachman of the Rocket’.

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1861

James Pryor, 59, fishmonger, born Cambridge
Esther, 50, born Hereford
James, 23, fishmonger, born Cambridge
John, 16, born Cambridge
Frederick, 12, born Cambridge
Anna, 10, born Cambridge
Mary, 8, born Cambridge
Sarah Ann French, 16, housemaid, born Ditton

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1871

James Pryor, 69, fishmonger and dealer in game
Esther
Frederick Dean, 22, drapers clerk, b Cambridge
Mary, 18,
Sarah Wright, 15, servant, b Shelford

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1881 Fish Shop

Joseph Rider, 21, fish merchant, b Cambridge
Alice, 17, b Cambridge

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1901 uninhabited

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1913

Victoria Bazaar Co, 1906, Ltd

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1962

(27)

H Samuel Ltd jewellers

 

A comment by AB on Facebook in 2026 about the frieze and clock on the wall said:

It was [added by] H. Samuels (jewellers, including clocks and watches) … The design on the wall is an abstract of a clock mechanism carved into the brick by hand. The design and the carving were carried out by the David Kindersley Workshop in Cambridge in the 1970s. At that time the workshop members were David Kindersley, Kevin Cribb, David Parsley, and Mark Bury. The faces of the clock were done at Hibbitts stone masons in Cambridge by sand blasting and all recessed work was then gilded at the David Kindersley Workshop.

Then & Now

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2018

(26 – 27)

Nationwide Building  Society

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James Pryor

James Pryor was born 12th April 1801 and baptised at Great Eversden. He married Esther Deen 11 Sep. 1835 at St James, Westminster. In 1881 he is living with his daughter Esther at 11 Eastbourne Terrace, Hills Road. He died 28th Jan. 1886. His father William (b.1775 bur. 4/1/1835 St Michael’s Cambridge) was a corset maker who lived in Green Street.

In 1841, James was a coachman living with his family in Eden Terrace.

By 1881, James Pryor, the son, has set up  business on Hills Road as a fishmonger.

In 1901 William and Esther are living with their mother at 1 Gresham Road.

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Jame’s Pryor’s business features in adverts in contemporary newspapers:

22/8/1874 – best Scotch salmon one shilling per pound

22/11/1879 – pheasants this day – 6s 6d per brace

23/12/1876 – James Valentine Pryor – fish, game, oyster, and ice merchant – an oyster room

8/5/1875 – notice given of expiry of partnership between James and his son James V Pryor

13/11/1847 – a notice in the paper suggests that a Harriet Rushbrook assigned her personal estate and effects to W W Robinson and James Pryor a fishmonger of Cambridge in settlement of debts.

10/12/1831 – James Pryor is listed as one of five proprietors of the Rocket Coach. This ran to London from The Hoop Hotel and the Blue Boar Inn every morning except Sunday at 11am arriving at the White Horse Fetter Lane at 5pm. The Rocket was one of a number of coaches who made regular journeys to and from London.

9/4/1881 – announcement of marriage of James Valentine, eldest son of James Pryor, 11 Eastbourne Terrace, Cambridge to Elizabeth Fanny, only daughter of George Hawson, The Mount, Worksop.