8 Horseshoe Lane

Marylands

The photograph on the left above shows the two houses which were located in what became the building yard of P. G. Hawkins.  The photo on the right shows their location on the right hand side of the road looking towards St Mary Street.

We understand that they were called 'Marylands' although we have not yet seen that name written in any documents.  Locals recall that there was a large nameplate showing that name on the houses.  We have been told by Norman King who lived nearby that the house was given the name of Marylands by a family who were 'strict Roman Catholics', but he thought it may have been the Collett family who lived there after WW2, but he wasn't sure.

In the early 1950's, the two houses were converted into a single house.  After street numbering was introduced in the early 1950's the house became 8 Horseshoe Lane.

We know very little about the history of these houses.  They were built before 1840 as they appear on the Tithe Survey map as Plot 222.  At that time they were owned by Daniel Burchell and occupied by William Goff and John Shield.

Norman King said that his father, Charles King owned the two houses for a period in the 1940's.  He sold them to P. G. Hawkins who initially rented them out, including for a period of about 12 years to one of his employees, Ray Roberts.  When Ray and his wife, Dorothy moved out in the early 60's, the building was used for storing building supplies.  Then in the early 1970's, the buildings were demolished as part of the town's re-development.

We do not have a complete record of the occupants of the houses, but we do not about several of the families who lived here.  Click here to read about the occupants

This page was last updated: 10/07/2008