135 High Street

Together with Nos. 1 & 2 Duke's Head Street, Nos. 134 & 135 High Street once formed a single messuage of some complexity. The description given of it in a listing of copyhold properties in the town (some 80-85% of all holdings), compiled by the Revd. John Tanner in c. 1720-25, describes it as many tenements "intermixt [sic] with each other", at the east end of Blue Anchor Lane [Duke's Head Street] and turning into the High Street. It was held by John Gardiner (glazier) and James Spicer (cooper) - the latter having tenancy in the right of his wife.

Further details present in the manorial records state that Mariner and Spicer shared a yard called the Green Yard, with the latter having a barn and access thereto, and also the share of a well. The former held the northern part of this yard (which by implication had the well) and the latter the southern portion. The total area of this piece of ground was 51 feet by 25.

The Manor Roll of 1618 shows the property as single entity, held by John Botwright, with tenants named Blake and Hayward preceding him. He surrendered it in October 1622 to Stephen Annison (butcher), who passed it on to William Kettleborough (gentleman) in January 1632. Kettleborough held quite a lot of property in the town and probably rented it out to create an income. In January, 1659, the messuage passed to Bridget Arnold by the terms of William Kettleborough's will. 

In July 1669, the property became divided through Bridget Arnold bequeathing it to her married daughters, Mary Gardiner and Margery Busker. John Gardiner then inherited his mother's portion in March 1689, while Elizabeth Spicer (only daughter of Margery Busker and her husband John) acceded to the other moiety in May 1717.

In "Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk & Suffolk" (1937), No. 134 High Street is shown as being occupied by Edward Soons (nurseryman), who would have been using the premises as a seed shop. It was still serving this purpose into the 1970s and being run by Mr. Percy Colby and his wife. CREDIT:David Butcher

This 1870 Photo shows original Blue Anchor. No 134 to 140 you can see a mixture of different  types of architecture. One of the properties...   in amongst the shops, is still a private house.  It's not a shop, it hasn't been adapted.  And the other fascinating thing   about it, and one of the reasons I picked  this picture, is the shopfronts  are being protected from the strong sunlight by  awnings, now these awnings were actually large   large roller blinds that were rolled up  and stored in the fascia above the shop window    

Then they could be pulled forward when the sun was strong. You can   see here, this is... this picture I would  imagine is taken quite early in the morning   on a very sunny day, east is to our left so the  sun is still basically in the east and quite low.  

And they've got to look in your shop window, so at the end of each day they would wind the awning in and out, wouldn't they?    So we've  got one, two, three, here you can see these are all   protecting their goods from the strong sunlight.  I'm not sure if this gentleman in this shop   is trying to... put his up, or if he's got a problem.      CREDIT: Ivan Bunn from transcript - Poetry People - High Street Histories