G is for Guildhall Street
Part of ‘the medieval grid’ of Bury St Edmunds, The Guildhall has been recently identified as possibly being the oldest civic building in the country from the late 12thC. It is currently undergoing a revamp called The Guildhall Project where a heritage centre, restoration of the only WW2 Observer Corps Ops room in the country and bringing it up to date with modern facilities hopefully will be carried out. This can only be done with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, re-roofing of the slate tile roof has just been completed.
The magnificent interior of the roof has a king post and arched braces which extend down into the court room where a large painting of James 1st hangs. He gave Bury its first charter in 1606. Opposite this room is the former council chamber, Bury council meeting here for the last time in 1966. A painting to the town’s great benefactor Jankyn Smyth hangs in here where it is toasted at the ‘cakes and ale’ ceremony after his endowed service in St Mary’s held annually since 1481. Jankyn was alderman seven times, gave money for two chancel aisles in St Marys and on more than one occasion paid for the expensive cope the townspeople were obliged to provide when a new abbot was elected.
The Guildhall Feoffment Trust had evolved from the Candlemas Guild and after the Abbey’s dissolution effectively ran the town for sixty-seven years. The Guildhall’s 15thC porch with a splendid internal stone doorway has a muniment room above with a medieval safe where the Feoffees documents were kept.
At number 79, Guildhall Street, another internal rounded arched doorway is hidden from view hence Norman House. Thought to be part of a pilgrim’s chapel it once looked directly down Churchgate Street as it would seem this prominent route to the Abbey has moved across over time.
Opposite the Guildhall at nos. 80 and 81, are the premises of Greene and Greene solicitors and formerly Ashtons Legal solicitors respectively once the homes of Orbell Oakes and his father James Oakes bankers of Bury St Edmunds. JO was in the wool trade towards the end of the 18thC but with that in decline he went into banking to be joined by his son. James kept a wonderful diary detailing life in Bury from 1778 until 1827 two years before he died. He was Alderman on several occasions and an astute businessman even having a pub, The Green Dragon, for his workers to imbibe in. We are not 100% sure where it was in Guildhall Street but there were no flies on James, paying his wool workers who worked in his combing sheds in St Andrews St South with one hand and taking it back with the other over the bar counter! His home had a banking hall and dining room wings later added on by notable architect John Soane (later knighted).
Orbell went on to purchase the manor of Nowton soon after his father died; it may well have been he did not approve of the ambitions of his son to become one of the landed gentry. Nowton Court was the Oakes family home for over a hundred years.
No.80 has an unusual relic from the past; that of a rush light holder. It is a twisted wrought iron bar that protrudes from the doorway overhang and in the days when there was no street lighting it would have served to illuminate the doorway.
On the subject of pubs in Guildhall Street there is now only one, The Black Boy. Surprisingly it is over three hundred years old and during the 19thC was owned by pub entrepreneurs of Bury, the McLeroth family. They had a close by rival ten years in existence from 1836-46 at no.68, The Black Girl. During the 20thC it was the bakery of Oliver Childs and his son Claude; subsequently the Golden House Chinese Takeaway probably the first in the town.
Another pub to have gone is The Three Goats (no.17). Its last vestiges are three goat-like heads on the roof gutter. Number 57 has grapes on its doorway, it was once the former Golden Lion Tap till closing in 1907, twenty-one years after its brewery in St Andrews St South. Other remnants were the Saracen Heads of a brewery and pub of that name. This became The British Legion Club and when that closed down through lack of patronage it became The Hunter Club. Owner Andrew Hunter had the heads restored, now on display in the entrance hall.
Another business almost an institution that closed in 1988 at no.90 (now The Royal Bank of Scotland) was Andrews & Plumptons ironmongers. It lingered on in St Andrews St South until 2000. It was a veritable treasure trove of bits and bobs, nuts and bolts etc. In the flat above the shop was born artist Sybil Andrews in 1898 whose grandfather Fred Andrews had started the business in 1862. Sybil’s early work consisted of water coloured street scenes of Bury but it was her art medium of lino cuts that she excelled at. She emigrated to Canada just after WW2 with her husband Walter Morgan. Her wonderful banner of Liberty’s silk on linen is an interpretation of St Edmunds death and now hangs in the cathedral.
With such a wealth of history in this street it warrants more than three pages to even just to scratch at its surface. Sometimes characters such as the following from the 20thC need remembering.
At no.7, was the newspaper and tobacconist shop of Anne Major-Davies, a heavy smoker she probably got through quite a bit of her stock every week! On entering her shop, it always seemed to smell of boiled cabbage; a description of her wouldn’t go amiss. As I recall she always wore black, her jet-black hair slicked back into a tight bun but it was the make-up she wore that made you wonder who she actually was. The face powder was laid on with a trowel with dark eyebrow liner and red lipstick laden lips that when her mouth opened an alcoholic haze floated by them as she did like more than a tipple!
On the corner with Churchgate Street was the 2nd hand book & junk shop of Mr Leslie Peachey. His son Bernie always referred to as young Mr Peachey had another shop next to the British Legion. Always professional and polite in their dealings their shops belonged to another age.
At no.16, Tom Allen in his sweet and tobacco shop was almost the opposite. His play-acting when serving customers made you sometimes wonder how they ever came back but they did.
Having mentioned the Golden House Chinese takeaway previously, Charlie Chung the oldest of the Chung brothers was the personification of customer service. The free prawn crackers you received in your little brown carrier bag from him made you want to come back. Service with a smile!
The same could be said of Motorspares opposite, a family run business owned by the Jenkin brothers. Help and advice was always on hand even if a sale was not forthcoming.
With many thanks to Martyn Taylor whose book The A – Z of Bury St Edmunds is available in all local bookshops
