ROW ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE ‑ QUAY ANGEL
ROW
(Palmer)
John Fisher's Row, 1754
Dover Colby's Row, 1796
Quay Angel Row, 1800
Fulcher the Pawnbroker's Row (Johnson)
Row One Hundred and Twenty Three map
This
row ran from South Quay to Middlegate:
Six
wooden struts supporting the houses could be seen here. To the visitor these seemed strange, says H.B.J.
High doorsteps some two feet above the level of the pavement in this row
reminded him of the frequent overflowing of the river Yare. Maltings were on
the south side. At the commencement of the eighteenth century there was the
Angel Inn in the Market Place, and the Angel tavern at the north-west corner of
this row. Fisher's house was at the south-west corner. Note the brick and flint
gable. *2
The Boldra family on
holiday.
At
the north‑west corner was the Angel public house, formerly belonging to the Moxon family. Hence it is called Quay
Angel Row. Between this row and the
next there stood early in the 18th.century,
a tavern called "The Ship", afterwards the "Cat and
Monkey", which in 1754 was purchased by John Fisher, who pulled it down,
and on the site erected a spacious residence, after divided into two. He died
there in 1775, aged 56. (see N.Quay and No.55 N.Quay) In 1780 the house was sold by his son, John, to Dover Colby, who
was Mayor in 1796, and died there in 1826. His wife Charlotte, eldest daughter
of the eldest John Fisher, died in 1823. In that house were four fine pictures
by Rembrandt; two were portraits of the Rev.John Elison and his wife, painted
at Amsterdam in 1634. They descended in the Colby family from Dover, who had
married Mr Elson's daughter. Dover Colby had three sons‑ Rev.Samuel,
who was Rector of Little Ellingham,
William, Rector of Clippesby, and Henry. The name was derived from the Parish
of Colby near Aylsham. Dover Colby died in 1757, aged 72. Samuel Colby, surgeon
died 1779, aged 60. *1
Elsie
Ada Boldra was born on 25th.July 1909. Her father, Robert Bensley Boldra, lived
at no.7. He married Mary Ann Durrant.
He was a Yarmouth man, as was his father, Timothy. Robert Boldra was a lamplighter, employed by the Gas company, and
every day he walked the rows, first lighting the lamps, and then starting
again, putting them out! The main office of the company was down Admiralty
Road, where the gasometers are. In the
row, Mary Ann took in a few visitors in the summer for bed and breakfast,
usually off the London boat, which they would meet on the quayside. The house had three rooms downstairs, and
three up, on two floors, and no cellar. The entrance, directly off the row, led
into the front (or best) room - there was no hallway. The living-room was the
centre room, there was a kitchen at the back with a small yard, and there was a
door off the yard into a small passageway that led back into the row. The house
was plain red and black brick.
At
no 1, Joseph Savory had two daughters, one called Jill. Next door was the
Colman family, with one son. Alfred Dover lived in the house up the passage
near to Middlegate, with two sons and a daughter, Flossie. One son was
nicknamed "Doey" Dover, and the other was Kenneth. They were all
attended Nelson school, and Dover became a postman. Harry Blyth had a house with a small yard at the front. Frank
Westcott had three boys, Percy, Ray, and Frankie. A girl also called Sylvia.
Ray is the only one still living, and has moved abroad, but still re‑visits
his home town. William George Barber
was at no.6, with his wife, two girls, and a boy. Mrs.Barber died of
tuberculosis in the 20's, and was then a widow.
The
children at that time played out on the
South Quay. There was an avenue of trees and little passing traffic. They
played skittles and tops, and others played cricket. The Boldra family at no.7 consisted of mother, father, Bob,
Arthur, Albert, Harry, Teddy, Daisy May, and Elsie. Albert lives in Marine Court, now aged 91, but retained for a
while, a house at Beatty Road. Bob
worked for the Gorleston Gas Co., Albert at the Gas Office, Harry was a cooper for MacKenzie and Clark at
Deneside, opposite St.Peter's school. Teddy was a costing clerk, working in
Norwich, and Arthur was projectionist at the Plaza cinema. (Owner Frank Weller,
see also Row 40.) Jack Weller was the son, and a friend of the family. Daisy
died 3/1/92, aged 96, having married a Lowestoft man, Harry Cresswell.
Robert Boldra center,
Mary Boldra, left.
Ethelbert
Balls had a good sized family also, with four boys, including Billy and Arthur
and Charlie; the girls were Dolly, Jessie, and "Ninny" (Lilly) (a
name no doubt acquired at the Nelson School).
Another in the row, Mr.Balls, was a docker. William Bunnewell lived in one of a pair of houses up in an
opening, Calthorpe was in the other. Bunnewell's son was the well known
Yarmouth Councillor, an only son, though they had one daughter. Little old Mrs.Dennington was then an old
lady with a daughter called Olive.
Albert Thompson worked in a fish‑house, and had one daughter.
James Hewitt worked for the waterworks, and had two girls and one boy. Jonah
Brown was at no.13, down by South Quay.
On the other side of the row, Charles Mather's house was nearly opposite
to no.7.
James
Bullent and his family lived in a house up a short passageway, through a door
off the row. The Duffields lived up another little passage. Mrs.Crosswell at no.26
was Daisy Boldra, from no.7, as mentioned above. Harry worked at the
post-office. They had one daughter, Winifred, a spinster, who lived next to
Elsie, now Kelf when at Exmouth Place. William Patterson at no.25 was a seaman. 
The Occupants, Row 123, 1886
( from King Street to
Middlegate Street) That IS what the directory says, i.e.
incorrectly!
Rudram, J., shoe maker
George, W., mariner
Osborn, W., labourer
Phillips, C., labourer
Storkings, W., fisherman
Sutton, R., smacksman
Curtis, H.S., shipwright
Egan, T., fisherman
Hensley, J., corn porter
Gowing, J., shoe maker
Howes, Mrs.F.
Smith, J.T., smacksman
Aid, L., ropemaker
Carter, W., twinespinner
Hewitt, J., mariner
Runacre, J., carpenter
The Occupants, Row 123, 1913
( from Middlegate Street to South Quay)
North side
1. Lacey, Robert William
2. Gillam, Charles
3. Cheston, Mrs.
4. King, Frederick
5. Mc.Dona, Mrs.
6. Fountain, Robert Charles
7. Boldra, Robert
9. Payne, Charles William
9a. Fulcher, Mrs.
10. Dennington, Mrs.
11. Fenn, James
12. Hewitt, James William
13. Brown, Jonah
14. Thurston, George
15. Porter, Nathan
South side
16. Masterson, James
17. Haughton, William George
18. Corbyn, Percy
18a. Green, Mrs.
19. London, Arthur
20. Mather, Charles
21. Smith, Edward George
22. Bullent, James
22a. Cooper, Mrs.
23. Barber, George Albert
24. Grimes, Walter
25. Patterson, William
26. Hewett, W.W., baker
The Occupants, Row 123, 1927
(from
Middlegate Street to South Quay)
North side
1. Savory, Joseph Frederick
2. Coleman, George Edward
3. Dover, Alfred
4. Blyth, Henry
5. Westcott, Frank
6. Barber, William George
7. Boldra, Robert Bensley
8. Balls, Ethelbert
9. Bunnewell, William
9a. Calthorpe, George Noyes
10. Dennington, Mrs.
11. Thompson, Albert C.
12. Hewitt, James William
13. Brown, Jonah
14. Hurrell, Samuel
15. Porter, Nathan
South side
16a. Roberts, Miss
16a. Gray, Miss (the house
depicted)
16. Cox, George Thomas
17. Houghton, William George
18a. Duffield, Mrs.
30. Mather, Charles
21. Oxborough, Mrs.
23. Harris, John
24. Thompson, Sydney
25. Patterson, William
26. Crosswell, Harry William
The Occupants, Row 123, 1936
(from 143 Middlegate Street to 35a South Quay)
North side
1. Savory, Joseph Frederick
2. Coleman, George Edward
3. Holt, George A.
4. Woolnough, Robert
5. Westcott, Frank
6. Barber, William George
7. Boldra, Robert Bensley
8. Balls, Ethelbert
9. Anderson, James
10. Thompson, Harold, George
11. Thompson, Albert C.
12. Hewitt, James William
13. Partmenter, Richard
14. Maddeys, Edward
15. Porter, Nathan
South side
16a. Harris, Christopher Thomas
16. Cox, George Thomas
17. Houghton, William George
18. Colman, Thomas
18a. Duffield, Miss
30. Mather, Charles
21. Oxborough, Edward
23. Godbold, William
24. Thompson, Sydney
25. Patterson, William
26. Crosswell, Harry William