November 1976. Listed, Grade II. Nos 22 and 24 London Road form a single two-storey 16th- or 17th-century timber-framed building faced in later 19th-century red brick with a steep gable-ended black glazed pantile roof. No 24 has a timber-framed wing at the rear which has been brick-faced. Four windows. C19 sashes with vertical glazing bars only. Plain panelled doors, No 24's doorway blocked. Historic England

June 2017. Field Observation - Inspection with LPA after fire. Good quality frame to early to mid 17th-century street side range. Roof of collars and butt purlins will be lost. Tie beam and front wall plate charred. Rear block undamaged and has a queen post roof.

Whilst the register refers to a single building, the internal floor layout indicates the right-hand end was added later (only the kink in the roof lines reveals that now) whilst the earliest section was probably the wing to the rear. We know the house front was still not brick faced until as late as 1905 or so (Ivy Day, born in mid-1897 and the youngest child in this photo looks to be about 7 or 8). The brick front clearly appears in this later image, which looks 1920s or earlier.  I suspect it was when the brick front was fitted that the windows were replaced with the sash windows we see today – not Victorian at all! At the same time the shutters on the right hand/central dwelling were removed.

Also, comparing the right hand background of the images, there are an awful lot more chimneys and stacks on the earliest one than the latest reflecting the amount of small industry going on in the nearby yards perhaps?

Over the years there seemed a fairly clear pattern of the skilled tradesmen living in the largest, LH section, the poorest in the wing to the rear and the most well to do in the RH section.

Back in 1839, when this house was already about 300 years or more old the whole four household block was owned by a Joseph Squire.  He was a member of a large clan of leather working and tailoring men and lived in the largest (LH section) with another, (separate) household in the small wing to the rear. To Squire’s left lived teacher Christopher Colls whilst the RH end section was lived in by a Mrs Elizabeth Fox. 

This rather well of lady owned a number of properties in the town, including the sizeable double fronted property that still stands to the left of Sindall’s. Perhaps this lady of advancing years liked the cosiness of a small property and the convenience of keeping an eye on one of her several investments so was happy to pay a small rent to Squire?

The 1841 census fills in some more details – Squire was an elderly shoemaker, doubtless working from home, possibly from a small workshop in the grounds of the house, maybe from one of his downstairs rooms. His assumed father (names and professions were handed down in those days) had started his career as an apprentice to another local cordwainer (maker of good quality shoes) back in 1724!

The same 1841 census reveals that the tiny rear wing was shared by assumed sisters Sarah Moore and Martha Moore whilst elderly Elizabeth Fox had two much younger relatives in the house with a live in servant caring for this all female household. Christopher Colls, schoolmaster, was living with his wife and child whilst Joseph Squires headed a household of 3 including a teenaged son.  In short there were at least a dozen people living in this fairly modest block of dwellings.

By 1851 widowed Elizabeth Diggins and her sister Mary Larter (both septuagenarian Paupers) lived in the back section, Joseph Squire (widower) lived with his youngest son James – at 26 his junior by 43 years, his daughter in law and 3 grandsons.  Spinster Sarah Fisher (56) and her assumed brother, bachelor Charles (56) were also in this row, both with a private pension, whilst the last house was unoccupied – even so that was still 10 people living here.

It was James Squire who as a carpenter , unusually did not follow in his father’s trade, was heading the household in 1861, 4 years after the death of his father, is found still in his father’s former terrace.  It is probable that at this stage, the building at the back was united to the front, end section as not only were James, his wife Rebecca and three sons living there but they had also squeezed in Rebecca’s mother and step sister (both visiting) a 15-year-old carpenter’s apprentice!  The other two dwellings were temporarily unoccupied - ‘inmates visiting friends’. Even with this left-hand end now incorporating the rear wing and being the larger section, 8 people would still have been a bit of a squeeze!

Throughout their married life, Rebecca had worked as a laundress – physically demanding work and, whilst her husband probably did not work from his premises, it is quite likely his wife did.  Alternatively, she may have visited other women in their homes on their laundry day, but this was a less common practise. If she did work from home, the extra land round the back of her home would have come in handy – it may well be that the circular fireplace still in the back of the wall between the front and rear wings housed a round copper fitted there for the boiling of hot water and clothes.

Roll on to 1871 and James and his wife, even though only in their mid-40s had ushered their children out of the nest (early marriage, small family) although 8 years old cousin Margaret Self had joined them.  A shoemakers family lived next door and on the end was the London born widow of the tailoring branch of the Squire family.

Four years later James Squire was out on the streets during the notorious Harleston Riots of 1875 and was called to give evidence on the events of that notorious night.  James would have known and almost certainly worked with some of these gentlemen being tried in court. Perhaps the dilemma of swearing to tell the truth and nothing but the truth clashed with his friendship loyalties – either way he took refuge in Dutch Courage to the extent that, when asked to give evidence, the Police removed him from Court!

By 1881, James and his wife continued their respective roles of carpenter and laundress although the young cousin of 10 years previously, now 18, was helping with the laundry. Not sure how much help James’ widowed mother-in-law (who had also moved back in) was, but family ties were strong in those days.  Next door was an assumed cousin William Squire and his wife whilst next to them, Henrietta Squire described herself as ‘Living on Cottage Property’ – maybe she now owned the building? Certainly, she had very close links with neighbour William as he was one of the children of George Squire with whom she had been staying in 1851.  William had started off in the family trade of tailoring but by the time of this census he was a post man, he would alternate the two until his retirement.

Having lived in the house for his entire life, 1891 had James Squire, carpenter, and Rebecca rattling around their 4 rooms by themselves, next door were 90 years old Hannah Coleby being cared for her by her daughter and next to them were Robert Pipe and wife It appears that the back part of the building was being lived in by an insurance agent, his wife and son.

James’ health was failing and in 1894 he decided he had enough – when they say coal cellar this does not necessarily mean underground – it could equally be what we would call a coal shed.

With the Squires no longer in residence in 1901 but Albert Day (shoemaker and postman) and his growing family had moved into the end section (presumably after the death of James), Susan Coleby stayed in the middle and Emma Pipe, a widow was on the right-hand end.

In 1911 this was an absolute centre of cobbling – the right hand end was lived in by Richard Tovell (Boot Repairer) and his wife, in the middle Frederick Hazell, (Boot Maker) wife and teenage daughter whilst Albert Day had given up shoemaking to become a postman and was living with his wife, 3 of his 4 children and a boarder.

We know the right hand end continued to be the refuge of the comfortable, not wealthy but comfortable, ladies of a certain age – in the 30s this was the home of Bessie (Alice) Hunting, a close family friend of the Dennys from the Ironmongers in town (who also lived nearby) and had raised an illegitimate presumed scion of the Denny clan, Basil Marse Hunting, who went on to become a fireman in Shanghai before returning home to succumb to the effects of TB, possibly exacerbated by heavy drinking.