No 38 - (my house)
We only know a little of the history of the cottage, but when we came here in 1990 we met two sisters (in their 90s) who had lived here as children in the early 1900s. They told us that their family used to take in washing and used a wash-house behind the cottage. They told us how they used to have to do some ironing in the morning (presumably with old style flat irons), but when the school bell over the road rang, they had to rush off for their lessons.
We don't know what happened then but, according to our deeds, this property was one of a group of three cottages which, in the early 1930s were practically derelict. It was at this time that Barbara's parents (Alice and Albert Venn) were able to buy two of the cottages, which they then had demolished, and the shop and home premises were build in their place. The third cottage (this one) was the best of the bunch, and the builder who had owned the row decided to renovate this one. Alice and Wilf Chidgey then bought it from the builder and moved here in 1937, moving all the way from South Lane.
The sisters who lived here in the early 1900s told us the front door in their time was where the centre window is now. Part of the renovations that were carried out in the mid 1930s was to move the front door to the right, as seen in the 1990 photo below. When you look at the cottage today, you will see that when we came here, we moved the front door again. Just one small example of how properties can evolve over time.
1990
This (photo above) is 38 Castle Street as it was in 1990 when Barbara and I took it on. In fact Barbara had known the cottage well for all her life, it having been like a second home to her as she grew up. Barbara was actually born in the shop premises next door which belonged to and was built for her parents, but as they were busy running the shop, Barbara spent much of her childhood with Alice and Wilfred Chidgey (known to Barbara as Nan and Wilf) who lived here, and they called it 'Millview'; presumably because the barkhouse and mill for the tannery in Tanyard was visible through what is now the car park, but was then the school grounds.
2020
We are often asked how old the cottage is. All we can say is "mixed ages". We can trace four distinct periods when major changes happened, but cannot be sure of actual dates.
We believe there was a much older building here of which the only part remaining is the main gable wall with fireplace and main chimney stack. The reason we think this is that is the only section that is mainly cob construction on a stone built base. What was here in those very early days we have no idea, but we suspect it was larger than the small cottage it became. The size of the old fireplace is such that it would be out of proportion for what would have been a relatively small room when the front door was central in the frontage.
We have no idea what happened to the original building, but one sees photos of long derelict buildings where the two gable walls with chimney stacks are the only parts that remain more or less intact; perhaps the same happened here?
There are a few anomalies in the way the older gable wall was not bonded with other walls at the rear, which give confused clues as to the timing of the building of the rear section of the house; so we cannot be too sure of the order of construction.
The next stage that can be identified was the building of the first floor over the rear extension. This first floor was built simply, in brick with a flat roof - corrugated panels when we took over - so was probably added during the second half of the 1800s; we know it was here at the start of the 1900s as the sisters who lived here then knew it.
It was after we took the house on in 1990 that we did the work to make it as it is now - building a new lean-to at the end, changing the front door to the lean-to, removing the end wall of the rear extension and adding a pitched roof to the rear extension.
All in all there seems to have been quite a chequered history, little of which would be apparent to the casual viewer from the street!
This page is still under review, please come back to see future additions.