Chelmsford, High Street 1895

Photo ref: 35514

More about this scene

By now, the High Street was crammed with houses: all the plots had been filled. The tenements could only expand lengthways along their own ‘backsides’, and most buildings had a jumble of outhouses, barns and sheds at the rear. Middle Row, which had hitherto backed onto the conduit-stream, now began occupying pockets of land on the west side of the stream, too. Initially, these were used as woodyards, but they soon evolved into half- timbered outbuildings; so Back Lane became somewhat narrower. The High Street, too, grew more restricted when another line of market stalls, permanent enough to have tiled roofs, was erected immediately to the east of Middle Row. These were known as Little Middle Row. The High Street, at this point, was now nine feet wide. Many of the town’s inns were now large and well established: these included the Boar’s Head, which stood on the site of Woolworth’s. Across the road - and stretching down to the bridge - were two inns fused together, the Lion and the Hart; and on the far corner of Springfield Road - where Next now is - was the Crown. Each had a carriageway opening onto a large, enclosed courtyard. Ranged around this major road junction, they were well placed to receive passing custom.