No. 34 is the tall building which is now Broadway Newsagency. In 1901 William George lived here and ran Broadway Grocer’s Shop. The shop had been in the George family since around 1850 when William George had been a baker there, subsequently a grocer (see photo in gallery below). In the 1930-1950 era this shop was run by Miss Toms and she had a sister to help her. When Miss Toms died it was sold and since then has seen many changes and alterations and owners: Mr. Flitney, Mrs. Gambell, Mrs. Hicks, Mr. Perkins and Mr. Patel, but throughout the years it has always remained a Newsagent and Confectioners. (See the George/West/Flitney family tree attached).
No. 36 (Lines Cottage) is grade II listed, built in the early 17th century and re-faced in the 18th with colour-washed brick. The door has a gabled canopy with a tiled roof and a boarded gable. Read more about the Line family.
No. 38 is at the back of no. 36
No. 40 is now a betting shop. As shown below, it was once Webb’s the fruiterers and before that it was W G Line’s coachbuilders and wheelwrights shop. (See the photos in the gallery below.)
Nos. 42-44 are grade II listed, built in the early 17th century and re-faced in the 18th in brick, now painted but with some exposed timber framing. No. 44 was probably Keen Brothers shop. No. 42 was for many years Gerald Punton’s tailor’s shop, before he moved next door. Before that it was a café owned by Mrs Powelsland and known as No. 11 Café (the house was no. 11 before the renumbering). Mrs. Powelsland’s husband was for many years the manager of the King’s Arms in the High St.
Nos. 46-48 (Huntsman’s Cottage) is also grade II listed built in the 17th century, timber framed with a later brick infill. It has an old tiled roof with two gabled dormers and a very large brick chimney.
No. 50 (Broadway House) is a substantial 18th century grade II listed brick building with an old tiled roof with two dormers. The façade has six sash windows and a six panel door under a 19th century hood. There was a long tradition of this house being lived in by doctors: in 1792 Mr Brickwell, a surgeon lived there; by 1883 Benjamin Brickwell, another surgeon (probably his grandson) lived there and in 1903 Frederick Turner, a surgeon, was in residence. The medical tradition continued later and Dr Starkiey built a consulting room at the rear of what is now the house next door. He sold the house in the late 1960s.
There is another 17th century cottage behind those fronting the road. Broadway House was built onto the front of a 17th century cottage and and there is another even further from the road, approached through the carriage arch between nos. 56 & 58, which was Dr Starkie’s gardener’s cottage and is now a separate residence. The adjacent property (no 52) was once the garage and before that was the carriage house/stable for Broadway House.
Listen to Gerald Lee talking in 2004 to Diana Goodbody about Dr Starkey’s surgery and other houses to the West of Broadway House
Click on any of the photographs below to enlarge it and to see the description. Then click on forward or back arrows at the foot of each photograph. To close the pictures, just click on one.