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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Norfolk => Topic started by: Stormybay on Saturday 15 September 12 18:55 BST (UK)
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hello
I was in Kings Lynn this past June and I was searching for the neighbourhood where my grandmother was born in 1891. She and 3 generations before her lived on Friar Street and Checker Street and attended All Saints Church - in fact, I think they were there in 1800! Her gt grandfather was a shipbuilder and her grandfather was a buoy maker. I understand that there was a shipbuilding yard very close to their homes.
Although I visited the local museum and asked several people in the area, nobody could verify this shipbuilding yard and everyone directed me to True's Yard at the North end of Kings Lynn, but I know that is definitely not correct.
Is there anyone who can tell me about this neighbourhood and the shipping that was carried out there? Were these people Whalers, perhaps?
It seemed to me - given that All Saint's Church is now almost gated off from sight by low rise apartment buildings - that this whole neighbourhood has been forgotten by the King's Lynn municipal govt. It was very sad as I attended a service in the Church and found it and the small congregation most welcoming, sincere and very kind.
So please,...can anyone tell me about this neighbourhood and its shipbuilding tradition?
S
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Try this - from the All Saints church website
http://www.allsaintskingslynn.org.uk/maritimehistory.html
It says: The Shipyards were situated near the Southgate, on the bank of the River Nar.
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Just want to say thanks for the direction to the All Saints Church site. I did walk around the headstones at All Saints and at least one had the image of a ship on it. I suspect that this whole area was settled for a long time by people who worked in that ship yard. Maybe some day, I will come across more specific information about what was there.
S
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I was born and raised in the Friars area and know something of the area's history.
The Worfolk brothers built their boats at the top of Gladstone Road (now called Nar Walk) along with their rope works. The river Nar where they launched many craft was the old Whaling river with a tributary aptly named Blubber Creak.
Caretaker1
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Dear Caretaker
Thank you - this is information that fits.
Just one question - were the Brothers you mentioned the owners of the yard, or were they independent shipbuilders like others who would have been there?
For example, my gt grandfather was listed as a ship wright and as a carpenter who was a buoy maker, while his father was a shipbuilder. So I am wondering if there were many men with small operations working at the same yard. Perhaps I am reaching too far back in time....
Stormy
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Stormy,
I know the Worfolk brothers owned and worked the yard and river bank, whether they employed others I have no knowledge. the yard and ropeworks was in use when I was a lad (1950's). I have a couple of photo's which I'll dig out for you.
Caretaker1
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Once again, Thank you!
You are the only person I have come across who has knowledge of this area and I did ask people who live there now.
It seems that a part of local history has faded away, even though there was activity there as recently as the 1950's,
My great grandparents lived and died on Friars Street all their lives - eventually in the Elsden Almshouses which appear to be beside Bird Cage Walk which was where there were other relatives living. It is such a small neighbourhood - I found it fascinating.
Stormy
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Stormy,
I was born 1949 in Friars Street, what was your Gparents surnames?
Caretaker1
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Hi Caretaker
Well, they were all long dead when you were born...I was born that same year!
My great grandparents died in 1913 and 1914 in the Elsden Almshouses. Their name was Simpson - he was Thomas a buoy maker. His father was James and his father was James. Most family members were baptized or married at All Saints. Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, were married at the Stepney Baptist Chapel but the children were baptized at All Saints.
My great grandmother, Sarah ann Simpson married James Thompson and he ran the Bowling Green Pub at 68 Checker Street until 1906 - looks just like a small house to me now - but everybody in the family was living above it!!! What a crush!!!
The Simpsons appear to have lived at about four or five addresses on Friar Street - one was on Bird Cage Walk which is now a walkthrough with a small children's park. It seems to me that fathers and sons just all continued living on that street or in that wee neighbourhood.
At one point, there was a marriage to a Twiss.
I may have said earlier that I enquired about this neighbourhood at the King's Lynn Museum and there was nobody there who could tell me about it. I was dismayed when I walked about there that it seemed to be so forgotten. While the people at the church were absolutely lovely, there was nobody who could tell me much about the street or its history and the church is, as you know, surrounded by low rise apartment buildings that are not very attractive and so this marvelous old church and churchyard seems to be in the midst of everything and yet, forgotten.
I took some photos over the wall of the Elsden Houses and an old man shouted at me - I apologized and said that my great grandfather had apparently died there and I wanted a photo and he just went back inside.
So it was sad. If you were to send me a note via personal message, I could look up the names and house numbers and tell you exactly where they were.
S
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You might enjoy the 'King's Lynn Forum' website - free to join (just Google it), there are very knowledgeable people on there and lots of old photos. You could post your questions on there, there's a thread for family history. Did you visit True's Yard museum? There's a lot of the fishing/seafaring history of King's Lynn kept there as far as I know, and one of the people who runs it is on the Forum, he is an expert!
I do agree with you, such a shame the old historic parts of the town were not preserved.
Pat
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OH says an old friend of his (long since passed away I'm afraid) used to own the 'Friars Boatyard Garage' down a track at the back of Whitefriars school - might be a clue?
Pat
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dear storm bay
you missed a really big trick not going to true yard
they have loads of info about kings lynn and even have a record room which you can seach and has files on families that others have researched
i like you thought there would be nothing their about my family and went round and book a time to come to go in the record room
and we found the church st Nicolas open ( it not a church any more and rarely open) and we got talking to bloke there and mention the pratt family and he says he remembers them and there was loads of them and one helps out there ( we did not get to meet him) but when we when back there we told them we were related and took and round again and showed us the stuff relating to our family.
truly amazing people well worth a visit
and also look at the king lynn website forum amazing place