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I Remember Sutton in Ashfield |
| ADDITION BY GORDON HARDY |
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It may be interesting to some , to briefly re-discover some of the streets and areas of the by-gone age, of the town of Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. In the medieval times, the area of Sutton was an open fields system. Taking the points of the compass, North Field, would be the region of Carsic Estate. West Field, would be the West End and Spring Bank. East Field would be the area of the Eastfield Side and the Lawn. The South Field would be the Sutton Junction area.. St Mary Magdalene Church, (The Parish Church) the scene of many of the weddings, is a Norman building, first mentioned in the 12th Century. It underwent a general restructure to its present form in 1868, when part of the original building was dated by experts to be 1115!! Two main maps, give a vivid insight to old Sutton. These are the Cavendish Estate Map of 1610 and the Ordnance Survey Map of 1877. These, together with books about the History of Sutton, have yielded the following information. In 1610 the majority of Sutton was fields, with strict boundary field divisions. The road now known as Outram Street came in from Mansfield, but it swung southwards near the present Stoney Street to pass along the ‘East Field’ over the Lawn joining Forest Road (now Station Road) near the present Lawn Avenue. The modern Downing Street was not present in 1610, but half of it had been established in 1877, from the Outram Street end, when it turned into right into New Cross Street. Many of the Ancient Field Boundaries , now form the lines of Herne Street, Short Street, Lime Street, St Michael’s Street, Chatsworth Street and Stoney Street. The ‘New Cross Inn’ was built in 1869 at a cost of £400.00, was originally named‘The Dewdrop Inn’ When Outram Street was eventually continued towards the Town Centre, it only held that name until it reached the Great Northern Railway Bridge. (This Station was opened on 4th April, 1898 and was closed to pedestrian traffic in 1931 and was eventually demolished in 1978). The lane from there to the present Portland Square was known as ‘ Tenter Lane’. This name was most probably derived from the word ‘Tenter’ which means to stretch, a common word in the textile trade, where cloth is stretched between hooks, thereby being on ‘Tenter Hooks’ When the lane was widened to its present width, it continued from and took the name of Outram Street after a John OUTRAM, a wealthy man, from Brampton near Chesterfield, who held land in several parts of the County. There were two areas known as ‘Greens’:a) Top Green, (Devonshire Square). b) Bottom Green, (Portland Square). Devonshire Square, housed a Yeoman Type farm house, believed built by the Langford family in 1520. It was demolished in 1926. The roadway outside the present Library was known as ‘Goodley’s Hollow’. Bull Baiting took place on this Green. The last time being in 1832, when a dog weighing 60 lbs, baited a bull which had been supplied by butcher named Isiah ABBOTT, who had premises in King Street. In addition to this, Bear Baiting took place in the area, the last being on Shrove Tuesday, 1836! Portland Square was formally the Village Green, which became known as ‘Swines Green’. It was centered by a circular pond where swine and cattle drank from it. Troughs also stood outside the premises of what was recently Bastows Chemist, (now Klick Photos), these were supplied with water from a nearby spring. The Town Pump also stood here and a ‘Smithy’s’ shop owned by a George WRIGHT was within the area. The Village Green was later known as ‘Engine Green’ when a building waserected to house the Town’s Fire Engine. This fact is clearly shown on the 1877map. The area was finally named Portland Square, taking it’s name from the Dukeof Portland, who owned most of the land. Priestic Lane, (now Priestic Road) joined Top Green to New Cross. This name is apparently derived from ‘sic’ meaning a stream or brook. The Priest’s house stood at the junction of this road and Top Green, with a stream running thorough his garden. Hence ‘Priestic Lane’!. The main thoroughfare from Top Green (Devonshire Square) to the Parish Church was Church Street. Church Lane led off this, to the right to St Mary’s. Thisapparently is one of the oldest part of the town. The ‘Lammas’ was later constructed to join Top Green to Alfreton Road and Huthwaite Road at the Cemetery junction. The Street Tramway ran from Mansfield through Sutton to Huthwaite. It commenced on 1st September 1904 and ceased to operate 28 years later in 1932, when it gave way to the Motor Buses. To return to the Town Centre. Market Street, which joins Low Street at the junction of the Old Town Hall, was originally known as ‘Little Lane’ giving it’s name to the ‘Little Lane School’, the building of which still stands on Church Street. The area at the bottom of Little Lane, was known as ‘Albert Square’, as it turned into Low Street. The Town ‘Stocks’ also stood in this area. (It is a pity they are not still in use!!) The first Police Station to be built in the Town in 1861, was at this junction. It is the detached stone building and until recently, the site was used by the Brittanic Assurance Company. An alleyway runs between this building and the one next to it, the Barclays Bank. The alley now leads to a small car park. This is the actual entrance to what was once, Swan Street. This street ran parallel to Little Lane and joined Top Green. (Devonshire Square). It gained its name from the White Swan Public House at the top of the street. A stream ran down from Brook Street and turned into Swan Street. At this point a local woman known as ‘Nanny SCOTT’ made a hole in the side of the brook into which water ran. She used to dye materials in this ‘hole’ and so Swan Street became known as ‘Scott’s Hole’. This was later shortened to ‘SOTS HOLE’, for apparently ‘Nanny’ used to like her ‘tipple’. ( A ‘Sot’ is a habitual drunkard- one who is stupid with drink)It later also became a name that will probably be remembered by the older members of the family, as being an area, that developed into one of the poorer districts of Sutton. A little further down Low Street, on the bottom side of Barclays Bank, is a shop now known as ‘Piggy Malones’. (You can well imagine the Fore-fathers turning in their graves - what the present planning committee are doing is anyone’s guess). Between this shop and the next one named Mackays, (Previously Walthams Cake Shop) was a narrow alley, this also led into Swan Street. This yard housed horses and cows. A short distance further down on the right hand side of Low Street, is the Yorkshire Bank. At the side of this building is Sherwood Street. Continuing on this side, the next shop down, towards Portland Square, is called 1st Choice Clothing, then the Currys Store. Before this building became Currys Store, it was the ‘Brick and Tile Inn’ and before that it was ‘The Vicarage’!! The resident for 46 years, was the Rev. Thomas HURT, Vicar of Sutton from 1774 to 1820.A narrow alley ran up the left side of the Brick and Tile Public House, this became known as the ‘Brick and Tile Yard’. Now turn your back to the Curry building and view the New Idlewells Precinct. You will see the new entrance swing doors. If you enter these doors and walk all the way through the shopping mall to leave by the top doors onto Devonshire Square, you have just walked along a piece of local history known as Club Street ! Club Street derived its name from the Old Trooper Inn that used to stand at the top of this road at its junction with Top Green. It had a ‘Club’ Room in which many meetings of the day were held. This street was, many times, referred to as Club Row. Another alleyway used to run across Club Street in the direction of Portland Square, this was known as ‘Spring Alley’, or Polly’s Niche, after a local resident Polly TOMLINSON. The narrow lane at the side where HEPWORTHS Tailors stood, (now SCOPE) is still known as CRIERS YARD. It was here that the Town Crier resided. The last Crier was a man called Charlie SCOTT, whose family still have possession of the Crier’s Bell. The narrow passageway now houses a barbers shop owned by Lesh and Andy!Another road that is relevant is Cursham Street, named after the Reverend Thomas CURSHAM of Ashover, he acted as the Curate for Sutton around 1776. This is street is off High Pavement. There used to be a stile at the top of Mount Street and one near the Hardwick Street School, (known as ‘The Croft School’, built in 1878) with a footpath running between them. The surrounding area was known as ‘Cursham’s Croft’. At the other end of the Town, was West End, (formally Smedley’s End). In 1760, a windmill was erected by the SMEDLEY family just off the corner of West End and Church Street. It had a bakers shop adjoining and it sold bread. (The Staff of Life) It followed that when the first Inn in this area was built in 1894, it was named the ‘Staff of Life’. The Public House was rebuilt in 1968, on the same site. I cannot fix a date for when the Windmill was demolished, but I recall the ‘stump’ of the structure at therear of what was Mrs Bowler’s Shop, the end house on Church Street, in the1930’s! I could go on for some time, naming old streets, but ‘having set the scene’, in the middle 18th century, it may be a wise thing, if anyone cares, to refer one to relevant history books. These can be obtained from the Heritage Shops at Sutton or Mansfield Libraries. The main book I would recommend, is one written by Bill Clay-Dove. ‘Paging the Past. Sutton in Ashfield. The Place and its People’ It was published in 1987 by F.W. BUCK and Son, Sutton in Ashfield. Unfortunately it cannot be purchased because it is out of print. However the Libraries have copies which can be borrowed.It is certainly a fascinating read! All I would say, is that my Great Grandparents were born around 1850. It is only some 150 years ago, but the changes to the world in that time, has been phenomenal. Remember, they had no running water. They had wells, village pumps and springs. They had no Electricity, no Gas Works, no paraffin oil, earth toilets were in use and the roads were unmade. Lighting was either by candle or smelly oil lamps, with cotton wicks. Transport - for the few - was by horse and cart. The problems of hygiene, must have been nigh impossible!
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