LIME KILN WALK

As early as 1668 there was a terrace of houses here (clearly seen on the 1668 map). The gardens on the south were known as Auburn's Gardens, occupying the space up to the woodmill that was used by the Fishers*3 for cutting deal.

The ground lying between Quay Mill and the Lime Kiln Walk, originally open Quay, was set apart in 1678 by the corporation for the benefit of the Childrens Hospital. It had long been held under leases granted by the charity trustees.*1

A portion of the property was, as early as the 17th century, used as a green for the then fashionable amusement of Bowls.*1 (The access to this green later became known as Bowling Green Walk) Either Palmer was biased, or bowls had fallen out of fashion in the 19th century, for now bowls has become very popular indeed, with many outdoor grass rinks maintained to a very high standard by the corporation on North Drive, and Gorleston Marine Parade, but also there are large indoor bowls rinks in the Marina Centre, and at Browston Hall. There are still more, at Lound, the James Paget Hospital, Northgate Hospital, Rumbold Arms, Lord Roberts public house, and other places, the game being exceedingly popular, and fairly commonly to be seen on television.

Land, gardens and orchards also belonging to the Children's Hospital, lay outside of the North Gate, as seen in the separate survey by Henry Swinden of that area. (71 acres) Swinden's 1758 town plan shows buildings either side of Lime Kiln Walk, and the gardens as well as rows of trees surrounding the bowling green. Lime kiln Walk commences opposite the Conge, on the west side of North Quay, and runs to the river in a north-westerly direction. The passage to the south is still called Bowling-Green Walk. In 1855 there was a garden there, and some trees, but the bowling green had warehouses built upon it.

There are now warehouses also upon the South side of Lime-Kiln Walk, where earlier there were houses, and there is nothing on the north side but the old roadway to the railway bridge, and some open storage yards. The railway has been long discontinued, but the tracks have never been removed.

Dorothy Carr,*4 was born at 9 Lime Kiln Walk, and went to live with an old Aunt when she was two. Her neighbours were the Bird and Dye families, her relations, the Underwoods. They were a close knit group, all living in rented properties. Her old aunt Mrs Underwood, was a Midwife and a nurse. Mr. Tom Underwood used to sell tripe on a market stall. This family had moved into Yarmouth from the country- before Dorothy was born (in 1894). Sally Underwood had a son who was Skipper of one of the fishing-boats. Dorothy's mother went by the name of Pettingill when they moved to Rainbow square, but she was previously of the name of Cushion. (Dorothy's maiden name was Dorothy Maud Cushion) Dorothy's Father worked for the Eastern Daily Press. Her aunt Matilda worked in the Salvation Army. Dorothy used to walk from Rainbow Corner up the row, and into Northgate Street, and thence to Northgate School, then to the Hospital School, and later to Priory School. She had one sister who after leaving school went to London, and married an Irishman,but was killed by a lorry. Dorothy met her husband when they were both at the hospital School, and when only a young lad he used to tell his friends that he would marry Dorothy when they were older. She was but twenty when she was married in 1914, and Charles went to sea on one of the small fishing boats as one of a ten man crew.

When the first world war came the fishermen were called up together with their small boat. Dorothy went away to Dover, (Charles was Stationed there)and she stayed in lodgings. Charles was posted abroad later in the war, and went initially to Greece, and then to North Africa, and was away for three years. He came back after the war and went to sea again on the fishing boats. Dorothy returned to Yarmouth before the end of the war, and Mrs Philpott, with whom she had been lodging in Dover, came to stay with her in Lime Kiln Walk.

At that time they had tickets to cash from the labour exchange, but they took 10 weeks to come through. My own grand-mother was, at that time a Belgian refugee, who was on the last boat out of France at the age of 19. Subsequently my grandfather settled in Dover, and had two houses on the sea front - No's 17 and 19, which are now converted into an Hotel.

At the end of Limekiln Walk was the lime kiln, where the lime was processed to be taken up river in the wherries to be used as fertiliser. The landlord was Mr.Pratt, and the rent was four shillings and sixpence a week.

Dorothy was sent to shop for her mother in the market, and remembered going to Leach's shop in the market place for the paraffin, this at about the turn of the century. Leach's then was a very old fashioned shop with very slow service, and if she went in at twelve, she would never get out before one.

Dorothy's son Charles went to Northgate School, and left there with a scholarship to the Grammar School, but instead chose the Art School. He for a while after was a window dresser for Palmer's staying there for three years before a period at Uxbridge. He subsequently worked as a freelance window dresser, and arranged the displays at Montague Burton, and a number of shops for some fourteen years.

Dorothy sometimes went to Foulsham's Restaurant in the Market Place, where they had very nice salt beef. They had their restaurant on the ground floor, and another room upstairs.

At Palmer's store in those days were Frank Palmer and Hurry Palmer, who would always bring a chair out for an old lady to sit upon. Dorothy used to buy material there for lining her coats, and there was a seamstress there who would make it up. The tailoress would also work for herself away from the shop.

Dorothy Carr died peacefully of old age 30th. May 1991, residing at the "Dovedale" residential home for the elderly in Princes Road.

John Hubbard lived in Lime Kiln Walk, and his son Donnie grew up friends with Roy Carr of Bowling Green Walk. They babbed for eels and fished for smelts and shrimps. This John was the son of John Hubbard of Filby, who married Eliza Louisa Brown of California. They settled in Caister, and had five sons. Bertie Reginald was born there 2nd.July 1913. They were all fishing families. Mrs.Brown's father was shipwrecked three times on different fishing smacks. One was the Venus, wrecked on the Barber sands.

Donnie with his mother.

John Hubbard came to Yarmouth when he became "ships husband" for Bloomfield. As such he oversaw all the ships in the fleet. Eventually the family firm of Bloomfield was taken over by Leverhulme. He had been on the Caister lifeboat and survived the disaster in 1901 when it capsized. There is a spectacular memorial in the Caister cemetary.

The Brown family owned the fishing smacks- "Gladys", "Gertrude" and "Pride".

Eliza Brown's brothers and sisters were Solly, Dan, Maudie, and Dennis.

John Hubbard's brothers included Jimmy, Charles, and Billy; they were farm labourers, but all went to sea also.

John and Eliza had seven surviving children, Gladys, Jack (pictured outside the fisherman's hospital), and who went to sea all his life , from the age of fourteen (died 1991, age 93); Charles,"Buff", who also went to sea at the age of fourteen, born 1906; Gertie who married a fisherman- Lance Watson- and moved to Fleetwood (died 1991); Leo who had his leg off after an accident playing football (kicked in the shin, it went gangrenous)he went to sea in the first war with a wooden leg, then worked for Bloomfield as a ransacker, and latterly kept a pub.; Eva, moved to Leicester (died 1993); and Bertie (died 16/10/93).

When John and Eliza moved to Yarmouth, they first lived in a large guest house no.21 Wellington Road, behind the "Windmill" theatre, but Eliza didn't like it, so they had a house built by Mr.Chase(snr.) at Caister on Beach Road. (Robert Chase jnr. is currently Chairman of Norwich City Football Club.) They migrated to Ormond Road, Admiralty Road, nearer to Bloomfields, then 58 Alderson Road, then no.40. Bertie Hubbard went to the Daniel Tomkins' school at the junction of Nelson and Rodney Roads, and later was an engineering apprentice on Southgates Road for 4/- a week, apprenticed at Gus Lee and Boswells firm. The wage increased to 12/- over three years. He learned the trade of boiler-maker, then went to sea on the "Rose", a Westmacot's boat. Father also had a small boat for in-shore fishing.

Jack Hubbard lost his eldest son Jack at sea in about 1955 on the "Playmates". All the crew were lost with the ship. Jack's other children were Donnie and Gladys.

Bertie Hubbard was married in 1935, to Dorothy Hubbard(Dolly), of Row 117 (Education Row).Her father was a docker. They lost their only child a few hours old in 1936. Their house in Whitlingham Place was destroyed during the war. Bertie was away on a mine sweeper, H.M.S. Rosette, a drifter trawler, commandeered as a minesweeper. His wife caught the 7 o'clock train to Leicester, the bomb fell an hour later and men were digging for hours afterwards trying to find her. There were seventeen killed. Dolly was a machinist at Johnson's, at first making dungarees, then "oilys" at the oilskin factory.

Bertie Hubbard.

In the Hubbard family of Row 117, the brothers and sisters were- Sam, George, Billy a footballer who played for the town, Emily, Ada, Nellie, Mabel, Dolly and Kitty. Dolly was an excellent skater who went skating at the Winter Gardens. Bertie met her there when learning to skate.*5

Bertie, center, carrying passenger ashore.

Whilst Bertie Hubbard was on the minesweeper "Rosette", they used electric coils and a generator to "De-Gausse" the mines so as not to be blown up themselves. They destroyed 147 mines, and one Dornier Bomber, that Bertie shot down with a Haulican twin gun with a drum of bullets on the after-deck.

When working inshore they would long-line from the Sunday after the Yarmouth fair, with pieces of mackerel as bait on lines to catch skate and cod. As the months went on, and they came towards May, they used Mackerel nets for as long as they could get a good catch. Later they would during the summer season operate as pleasure boats off the Yarmouth beach (using the same boats)

In the picture of the "GVH" (Gladys Violet Hubbard), are seen Buff Hubbard, Jimmy Ellingsworth, Siddy Wilson, Bertie Hubbard, and "Brownie" (George Brown). The boat was first owned by John Hubbard, then Gladys, then Bertie and Buff. It had a Kelvin engine. In the summertime it was used for pleasure trips to Scroby, and sometimes trips to Cromer, Lowestoft or Aldeborough.

*1 Palmer, I., 134,135.

*3 see 55 North Quay.

*4 Interview, May 1991.

*5 Interview June 1993

Jimmy Unsworth had another boat, the Sailor Prince, which Bertie and Buff bought from him and used it from the other side of the jetty. (The Prince was YH59.) There were twenty eight or twenty nine boats operating off the beach at that time. Each paid a licence fee to the council. The only two remaining in 1993 were the "Glenda Margaret" and the "Haven Lass". Bertie Hubbard sold his boats in 1974, but only ceased to work on the boat during the season in 1993 due to illness, and missed the boats sorely despite his age of 80 years.

The Residents of Lime Kiln Walk, in 1938, were-

From 85 North Quay

1. Gallant, Robert Charles

2. Underwood, Henry

3. Hubbard, John

4. Walker, Jack Llewellyn

5. Watson, Robert

6. George, Albert

7. Bird, Frederick

8. Hurrell, Mrs.

9. Dye, Mrs.

10. Lovick, Frederick

11. Underwood, Edward

12. Docwra, Nathaniel

13. Smith, Charles

14. Carr, Charles Edgar

15. Baldry, Arthur

16. Boulton, Mrs.

17. Parker, John