St Ives, Walking On Bridge Street 1914

Photo ref: 66957Y

Monday market, being taken there by my Mum to do the shopping and then being indulged by the generous salesmen from Standens agricultural engineers and allowed to sit up in the (then) enormous cab and glory in watching our market hub-bub flowing past whilst imagining myself ploughing some vast Fen field. ( Genetics? My eldest son is now an agricultural equipment engineer and has always loved being around the machines.)

My 3 x great-grandfather William Lightfoot was born in 1809 in Roxton, Bedfordshire. He was a grocer. His wife was Mary Jane Lightfoot (nee Clarke). They had 5 children, 3 of whom worked in the shop. The youngest son James (1846) was born in St Ives, he and his brother John Scott Lightfoot were painters. The family moved between 1861 and 1871 to Merryland, St Ives. I am a descendant of William and Mary's eldest son William (1841) who became a grocer and tea dealer in Northampton.

Hi I am researching my family tree. The name is Matthews  My great great grandfather James came from St Ives, his son was Louis Matthews, they were cattle dealers and lived in Needingworth Rd from 1840 onwards. If anyone has any info it would be fantastic as I'm not making much progress. They both had a lot of children, James had 6, Louis was married twice and had 9! I must have some rellys out there! Here's hoping.

The year this picture was taken I lived in a flat above the Rendevous Cafe in the building directly behind the statue.  Owned by Pat and John Harvey, this was home to a newly arrived American family, and this town has lived in the hearts of my sister and me ever since. I love to return whenever I can and am happy to feel right at home again each time!