High Street Part I , Blisworth, Northamptonshire, UK.

All pictures are presented at relatively low resolution.  There will be hundreds of pictures on this site - there is an economic limit to the webspace available.  The point of this presentation is that you can see for yourself the extent of the collection and return later as the collection expands - as it surely will.  Any interest in copies of a picture at a higher resolution (ie. clarity) should be directed through contacts given in the Blisworth "Round and About" parish council publication or using the comment form on the home page.  In some cases the pictures are not available due to copyright restrictions.  However, permission has been obtained, where possible, to include them here.  Printed below each image is the photographer's name, if known.

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Read Jim Payler's description of 1940s High Street

Various dwellings in this street are listed - information available.

16-00

This house was rebuilt in the 1950's into "Willow Cottage" which, once two cottages by the elm tree had been demolished, has a clear view of the Northampton end of the High Street.  The picture was taken from alongside the Mount Pleasant row.  The tiny window near the corner has become a decorative recess in the current house.

16-01  Behind the elm tree are the row of cottages, two of which were demolished as noted above.

The coach is the Frisby Coach on the way to Towcester Races.

This long group at the Northampton end of the High Street was originally three cottages but now comprises just one long home.  It was common in the village to provide either a front door or a rear door to a cottage in such a group - not always both!  The date of this picture is roughly 1948.

This superb picture was taken by Walter Alexander from the road side outside his father's shop.  The time was Easter in about 1925 and the traffic is making its way to the Towcester races.  The 17th century gable still dominates this part of the street and is a fine example of polychrome banded stonework which is common in Blisworth.

The pump is set above one of 3 or 4 public wells in the village which were not put out of commission until the early 1950's.  This particular pump survived the demolition of the cottage to which it is attached - see Shops section.

16-04

An aerial shot taken in about 1974 shows the remains of foundations of the old steam-roller shed at the top of Little Lane where it joins the High Street. The small yard next to the shed was in the hands of the county council and used for storing kerb stones, gravel and drain parts.  Subsequently, the lane was widened.  The cottage on the left is Jasmine Cottage and the dark wooden building a few yards along Little Lane was the second location for the telephone exchange at Blisworth.  It was bought by a Northampton Scuba Group as a storeroom and meeting place in about 1960 when a large new telephone exchange building was built in a plot set back from the shed.  For anyone not familiar with the appearance of a steamroller, here is a picture of the very one that was used.  Neil Parton has written to us to tell us the machine, an Aveling and Porter, is in good health at the Klondyke Mill Preservation Centre in Staffordshire and has in its provenance the ownership of Northampton Council.  We lack absolute proof of it being the very same machine.

Another view of the steamroller shed, from Little Lane.  The lane was very narrow at both the top end and the bottom.

This is Jasmine Cottage (becomes No. 2 High Street) pictured in c. 1900.  The family at the door are the Carters with their first daughter Dorothy - a second daughter Eva became the Eva Stratton many villagers will remember.  In her early days she was a part-time teacher at the new school on the opposite side of the High Street.

16-09a   Jasmine Cottage in the foreground, as in the above, with the house built by Mr Sturgess, baker, next to it.  On moving from the Stoke Road premises (ex - Westleys) in about 1923 he set up his bakery behind this house.  There is more on the bakers of Blisworth on the website.

Beyond can just be seen the new newsagents shop (as show in 29-01 to 04) so the date must be c. 1955.

16-10  Digging to install the village gas main, 1934.  The doorway behind the nearest man's right shoulder is the jetty-way to the rear.  Immediately to the left of that entrance is the corner of the protruding building.  See the Shops section for further information.

16-11   There is a maybe dubious story that Cromwell once stayed at this house, opposite the newsagent.  Another is that one of the rooms was called the "Bridal Suite" because, in the depression years, young married folk could not afford a honeymoon holiday.  There is, however, no evidence that the house was a guest house.  Likewise, there's no evidence it has a ghost!

Footnote:   For this section of the High Street there are few pictures of houses on the south side.
                   Please use this link to see more.

Part II