Friends of Princes Street

A 1000 year old Norwich community

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20th century

20th century

1900 renumbering – 33 Princes Street becomes 22? 24? 35 became 26. 29 became 20.

1901 population of Norwich estimated at 110,000 – three times the estimate for 1806

1901 census:

  • 20 Princes Street – William Henry Claxton 57, own account at home, occupation chiropodist, wife Lucy 58
  • 22 – Reginald Brett, 52 year old greengrocer working at home, wife Elizabeth 58
  • Mounsers Yard
    • 1 – Harriett Rud, 70, charwoman
    • 2 – William Parnham, bricklayer, Sarah, wife
    • 3 – Sarah Gant, 71, living on own means
    • 4 – Ann Thurtle, 71, housekeeper
  • 24 – Robert Saunders Thorne – 40 year old boot maker working at home, and wife Ann 39 and children Ann, 13, Herbert son, 11, Laura daughter 9, Hilda daughter 2, Reginald son 4 months, Harriet sister 33 (boot and shoe machinist), Elizabeth, sister, starch [laundress]
  • Graeme [sic] Princes Street Harriet Cremer (presumably 26), 48, living by own means
  • 1 Tombland Alley, Joseph Howard, 55, builder, employer
  • 2 Tombland – Sophia Dewing, widow, caretaker, 52. Edward Jarrett, boarder, 48, carman?

1901-2 16 Princes Street has Sutton’s Parcel Office (as in the photograph below). Building opposite is the old Temperance Hall, which had become a lecture hall in the 1890s, run by the Junior Institute for Working Lads

1904 24 Princes Street up for auction, described as a double fronted shop with rooms over, let to the County Council for the Office of Weights and Measures, at a rent of £18 per annum and also in the rear a large building used as a parish room at a rent of £4 per annum – may have been Crawcour’s synagogue?

1904 Kelly’s Directory – 22 Princes Street RD Brett fruiterer and greengrocer

1905 26 Princes Street sold by auction – in the occupation of Miss Mabel Chapman, a dressmaker, at a rent of £14 per annum. Included 1 and 2 Tombland Alley and the parish room in Tombland (the synagogue?)

1908 Kelly’s Directory:

  • 22 Princes Street RD Brett fruiterer and greengrocer
  • 26 Princes Street Miss M Chapman, dress maker

1910 Princes Street – note J. Spalding at 20. Upper windows of 20-24 are all sash windows. All fronts are plastered.

Princes Street in 1910

1911 census:

  • 20 Princes Street – Albert Turner, 52, coach painter/employer, wife Lettice, Bernard, son, 14, grand daughter.
  • 22 – Reginald Brett, 62, greengrocer and wife Elizabeth, 68
  • 1 Mounser’s Yard – George Bayfield, 60, private means
  • 1A Mouncer’s Yard, Mary Ann Smith, 72, widow, tailoress (her mark)
  • 2 Mouncer’s Yard – Mary Ann Brown, 60, boot machinist
  • 3 Mouncer’s Yard – Mary Hayes, 90, formerly a servant
  • Tombland Church Alley – 4 rooms – Samuel and Rebecca Stolworthy, caretakers
  • Tombland Church Alley – 4 rooms – Henry Allen, 70, chimney sweep, Clara, wife, 64.
  • 1 Tombland Alley – 3 rooms – Joseph Howard, 64, master bricklayer
  • 2 Tombland Alley – 4 rooms – Sophia Dewing, widow, 74 and her sister Hannah Chamberlain, 66.
  • 24-26 offices of the county council

1911 Jarrold’s directory

  • 20 Albert Turner coach builder
  • 22 RD Brett Shopkeeper
  • 24 Weights & Measures office for Eastern Division of Norfolk
  • 26 Miss Mabel Helen Chapman, dressmaker
  • 1 Tombland Alley Joseph William Howard, builder
  • 2 Mrs Sophia Dewing
  • 3 Henry Allen – Chimney Sweep

1912 Kelly’s Directory:

  • 22 Princes Street – RD Brett Fruiterer and greengrocer
  • 24 Princes Street – Weights & Measures Office – through to 1914

1914 Jarrold’s Directory –

  • 20 Turner – coach builder
  • 22 A Hughes, fruiterer
  • 24 Weights & Measures
  • 26 Chapman
  • 1 Tombland Alley Joseph Howard builder
  • 2 Sophia Dewing
  • 3 Vacant

1916 Kelly’s Directory:

  • 22 Princes Street – John Able Medler, greengrocer
  • 26 Princes Street – Thomas Edwin Thomas, artificial teeth manufacturer

1921 census:

  • 20 Princes Street – Albert Turner (60), coach builder on own account and wife Lettice (64) at 20 Princes Street with son Bernard, 24, out of work engineer, 2 boarders and 2 year old nephew.
  • 22 – John Medler, wholesale fruit, potato and plant merchant and family
  • 1 Mounsear’s Court – Kett family (unemployed caterer)
  • 2 Mounsear’s Court/Yard Joseph Howard, 74 year old bricklayer
  • 3 Mounsear’s Court – Martha Ellis, 74 year old widow and 77 year old lodger
  • 4 Mounsear’s Court – Horace (cabinet works labourer) and Esther Ward
  • 24 – estate agency run by Frederick Crowe
  • 26 – Harry King, 43 year old baker and family
  • 1 Tombland Alley – William Stewart, shoe finisher and wife and daughter
  • 2 Tombland Alley – Walter Ellis, 64 year old jobbing gardener with wife and lodgers

1924 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 – Albert Turner junior furniture dealer to 1927
  • 22 – John Abel Medler greengrocers
  • 24 Frederick B Crowe antique furniture dealer to 1927
  • 26 Harry Robert King to 1927
  • 1 Tombland Alley William Spinks
  • 2 Tombland Alley – Walter Edward Ellis

1924 conveyance between Queenie Ballard and Arthur Holmes – 26 Princes Street deed

1925 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 Turner, 22 Medler, 24 Crowe, 26 King
  • Tombland Alley 1 Spinks, 2 Walter Samuel High

1926 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 Turner, 22 Medler, 24 Crowe, 26, King

1927 Kelly’s directory:

  • 22 – Rev Henry Anderson Meaden, vicar of St Peter per Mountergate

1929 Kelly’s directory

  • 20 Turner, 24 Crowe, 26 King.

1931 – conveyance between Arthur Holmes and Bernard Ashton Turner

1931 Kelly’s directory

  • 20 Turner, 22a Nelson Allen, no 24, 26 King

1933 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 Princes Street – Albert Turner, furniture broker and dealer
  • 22 Princes Street – Gable teahouse
  • 24 Princes Street – Cornhill House, Cornhill Insurance Co, George W Millbank branch manager

1934 Bernard and Beatrice Turner’s son John Ashton Turner is born

1935 – 1964 number 22 is a tea room run by Mrs Mabel Hamshaw. Fire around 1964-6, completely rebuilt and a modern office extension added at the back. Door from Princes Street to Mounsear’s yard blocked off.

1935 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 Turner, furniture dealer
  • 22 Mabel Hampshaw tea rooms
  • 24 Cornhill Insurance Geoffrey W Carter branch manager
  • No 26
  • Mounsers Yard – 3 Freestone, 4 Ward
  • 1 Tombland Alley – Sydney Albert Lemmon
  • 2 Tombland Alley – Stanley Medler

1936 George Plunkett photo of 20 -26

1937 Kelly’s Directory:

  • 20 Turner
  • 22 Hampshaw
  • 24 Cornhill Insurance GW Carter
  • 26 Bernard Ashton Turner
  • 1 Tombland Alley Lemmon
  • 2 Tombland Alley – Frederick William Sadler

1939 register:

  • 20 Princes Street – Albert Turner, antique dealer, own account
  • 22 – Mabel Hamshaw, tea room proprietress
  • 24 – Cornhill Insurance
  • 26 – Bernard and Beatrice Turner. Bernard described as having private means – presumably rent from his properties. Bernard’s brother Albert is running an antiques shop at number 20.
  • 1 Tombland Alley – Elizabeth Cannell, born 1865, unpaid domestic duties, widow
  • 2 Tombland Alley – Frederick Sadler, born 1898, iron moulder, wife Dorothy, upholstress, son Frederick, born 1921, printer’s clerk

1941 Kelly’s Directory:

  • 20 Turner
  • 24 Cornhill Insurance
  • 22 Hamshaw
  • 26 Turner
  • 1 Tombland Alley Mrs Cannell
  • 2 Tombland Alley Sadler

1947 Kelly’s Directory:

  • 20 Turner
  • 22 Hamshaw
  • 24 Cornhill GW Carter
  • 26 Turner
  • 1 Tombland Alley Mrs Cannell

1949 Protest by Cornhill Insurance about Bally & Haldenstein opposite proposing to add a fourth floor to their shoe factory – that it would block their light. “Most unfortunate” that a factory has been allowed on the street. B&H change plans to adding a fourth floor to the back of the building only.

1950 Beatrice Turner dies

1952 – above photo from George Swain – chimney stack has gone from 26

1952 Carter, the builder, reports to Cornhill Insurance re 24 Princes street that there will be trouble with tiles slipping off from the house to the West and North occupied by Miss Hamshaw (22) and also from the synagogue to the North. Tiles may injure employees in the yard and the lavatories in the yard.

1954 Albert Turner shuts down antiques shop at number 20.

1954 oak doors, panelling, beams etc inserted in 24 Princes St in 1931 have become dirty, so renovated. Outdoor toilets also renovated

1955 Leaded lights replaced at number 24.

1955 Bernard Ashton Turner sells 26 Princes Street and 1 Tombland Alley to Cornhill Insurance, but continues to own 2 Tombland Alley

1955 Cornhill Insurance commission architect Cecil Upcher to restore 26 Princes Street and merge it with 24 Princes Street again. A long Tudor window frame was found and left in position, but otherwise the restoration preserved the Georgian makeover, retaining the Georgian doorway, sash windows and bannister. More chimney stacks removed. Timber panelling repaired and reinstated in front office in 26. Ground floors to be screed and cement with cork overlay.

1955 – claim to the War Damage Commission resulted in payments to repair cracks, loose plaster and damage to the friezes in the hall and in the first floor front bedroom of 26. However, the Commission refused to pay for the defective gable wall.

1956 Oval window inserted in east wall of 26, using old bricks. Toilet in kitchen of 1 Tombland Alley removed. Windows inserted. Cellars of 24 and 26 joined together. Consolidated and filled in an old well. Opened up and formed a plaster niche.

1956 An old stone bowl with two handles was found buried in the walls of 26 Princes Street, in three pieces. Upcher didn’t want it so asked that it was left there. The museum said it was medieval oolite.

1960 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 blank
  • 22 Hamshaw
  • 24-26 Cornhill Insurance

1962 Cornhill Insurance move to 100 Princes Street. National Provident Institution for Mutual Life Assurance moves into number 24.

1962-3 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20, 24 and 26 blank.
  • 22 Hamshaw
  • 2 Tombland Alley M&S Gooch architects

1964/5 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 Anglian Grill owners Alfred and Rose Dennis
  • 22 Hamshaw
  • 24 National Provident Institution for Mutual Life Assurance
  • 26 blank
  • 2 Tombland Alley Gooch – architects

1966 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20 The Anglia Restaurant
  • 22 blank
  • 24 National Provident
  • 26 MW Innes, architect and Lambert, Christopher and Parker, architects.

1967 Kelly’s directory:

  • 20-22 blank
  • 24 National Provident
  • 26 Chandler Hargreaves Whittall and co, insurance brokers – to 1971.
  • 2 Tombland Alley – Gooch

1968 – 1978 Mark and Loretta Turner are license owners of The Anglia Restaurant

1969 Robert Burgoine, architect, at number 22

1970 George Plunkett photo

1970 22 – Burgoine and Norfolk Garden Estates Ltd

1972 The Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church of England and Wales merged to form the United Reformed Church

1972/3 Clapham & Collinge, solicitors, at number 26

1979 Planning permission granted to National Provident to extend 24-26 as a single storey to provide staff facilities (24 and 26 were combined again at some point between 1973-1979?)

1980-1981 Roger and Jacqueline Hill at number 20

1995 Anglian Grill at 20 becomes Trattoria Rustica