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Archway - Tower Bank |
Church StreetBefore the first council houses were built in the 1930's, the southern border of Craster was Church Street. The photograph shows the back of the houses on the south side of Church Street, with St Peter the Fisherman at the top. On the seaward end of the street, where the Shoreline Cafe is now, you can see the lean-to attached to the gable end, with half of an upturned herring boat acting as a shed at the back and two sea-going cobles pulled up by the house.
The following photograph appears to he been taken at the same time and shows Little Adam's House at the bottom and right of Church Street. The coble Angler was registed in 1888 and the owners then were Ralph and William Archbold.
Written in 1957, Eva Archbold's history of the village notes: "Church Street was built in the 1850’s. The first two (No1 & 2) were built by No1 Mr James Archbold commonly called Solomon and his wife Jane (my father’s father’s sister). No2 was built by Joseph Archbold and his wife known as Bessie Tait. The latter decided to have a shop so they exchanged houses. Everything was sold in this shop and if anyone asked for something not in stock were always told by “Bess Tait” that “I’m expecting some coming in”. At one time that was also the post office. Being a movable object I can remember the post office being in the “cortyn”; that was in 1913, Miss Fanny Archbold or Fanny Rutter commonly called was in it at her mother’s house – Mrs Margaret Archbold commonly called Meggie Rutter. There it remained until end of war when Fanny married a soldier from the midlands who had been stationed in Craster - Thomas Wilson. After that it was at north Craster at Robert Grey’s house. His two daughters Annie and Ethel had it for about 25 years. At one time in the early 1900’s there used to be a post man’s cabin on the Heugh near the church wall south side. The post man was called Fred Wood. When he left Jack Sinclair of Dunstan became post man a position he held for -- years. No’s three and four Church Street were built in 1857-1858 by No3 William Archbold commonly called Bill Sailor and No4 by my grand-father Robert Taylor. All my mother’s family were born in it. The housing situation was acute then as now and the ‘parlours end’ was let off to a newly married couple (my grand-mother’s brother Edward Dawson and his wife Jane). This happened in many cases. When my own parents were married in December 1900 they ‘set up’ in that same room and the next October I was born. The houses on the opposite side of the street were built a few years later in the 1860’s. No five by William Dawson (my grand-mother’s brother) March 22nd 1867; No6 by John Dawson 1866 whose wife Ellen was my grandfather’s sister. No7 by George Simpson 1865 and No8 by Adam Archbold in 1864. This Adam was my father’s father’s cousin and brother to James (Solomon) who built No1. No1 Church Street has seen several owners. When Joseph Archbold and his wife died his son Charlie had shop for many years. Next came Henry Grey whose father Robert Grey had the pub. He left it in -- when Thomas S. Grey and his wife my father’s sister (commonly called Maggie Gibb after her mother’s mother) took it for his son Edward – my cousin. It is now (since 1945) shop + post office and is a very good business. When the squire sold the houses which were not condemned in 1940 T. S. Grey bought it. At the same time my uncle, George Taylor, bought No4 Church Street. No2 was bought by William Anderson, No3 by Dan. Park of Boulmer for his son James married to Winnie Carse. No5 by W. Proudlock of the pub whose daughter married Thomas Abbott whose family had lived in for many years. No6 by John William Dawson whose parents had built it and like No4 had paid rent when the lease was up. No8 bought by Mr. George Smailes (not a Craster Smailes) he had been a policeman Ryhope way."
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