Frank Newbon’s History of Stamford has 10,000 members - and here are some of the gems they’ve uncovered

A group for people interested in a town’s social history has welcomed its 10,000th member.

Frank Newbon’s History of Stamford came into existence on Facebook on June 4, 2019 and during the five years since has attracted a huge following.

This month membership reached 10,000 ‘Newboneers’, demonstrating the hunger there is for discovering the memories and the quirks of Stamford’s rich history.

Founder of the site, Stewart Jackson, who also runs the Stamford signwriting company Frank Newbon, asked a handful of members to share some of their favourite discoveries relating to the site.

John Riley, who lives in Bourne and takes a keen interest in history across the area, said: “One of my first contributions (posted from Kuala Lumpur in December 2019) was a photo of Brazenose school pupils in the mid-1920s. It included not only my father (4th from the left on the front row) but also Audrey Newbon (front, far right).”

John’s father Frank Henry Riley ran the draper's shop in Maiden Lane, Stamford, opposite St Michael's Church.

Betty Haddon, who grew up in Stamford, says her favourite shared photo was taken in 1926 and shows her grandfather William Haddon with his barrel organ and ‘a motley crew off to fund raise for Stamford Infirmary’.

She names them as grandad William (on the left), ‘Titch’ Hibbins, uncle Cliff, dad Norman and ‘Acker’ Atkins.

They were photographed in Melbourne’s Brewery Yard, now the Jolly Brewer in West Street, Stamford, opposite what was at the time William’s Yard.

Jane Craig-Tyler managed to dig out a photo that gained plenty of admiration and led to people comparing bottles they have around their homes.

The picture from the Henry Simpson Collection, which was donated to Stamford Museum, shows EF Young, Grocer and Tea Dealer, in Red Lion Square, Stamford.

Taken in the 1860s,it reveals how not a great deal has changed in 160 years - the buildings are still recognisable, but are now Freckleface on the corner, with Paten and Co next door.

By 1900, the grocer had moved to 13 St John Street.

Site founder Stewart is well-known in his home town, and often gains special access to places around Stamford to take photos.

He was snooping around the tunnels and foundations underneath the London Inn, St John’s Street, and came across a little window that opened into nothing.

“I felt the need to investigate and by overlaying Ordnance Survey maps from 1886 and 1901 onto Google maps it would appear to be the back window of ‘The Little Shoe Shop’ that used to look out on a tiny yard.

“Seems The London Inn moved quite a bit too when they widened the road and it was rebuilt.”

While researching an umbrella sign he found in the Stamford Museum storeroom, Stewart helped track down the history of the shop it once adorned.

He said: “In the 1850s the building at 8 All Saints’ Street was a private house. By 1876, a certain George Smith and Son had acquired the premises and were trading as G Smith and Son, Practical Umbrella Maker, Repairs & Cutler.

“Strange to think these days that you could run an entire business around umbrellas and cutlery.

“In 1901, his son John Robert Smith had become an apprentice umbrella maker and by 1911 he was running the umbrella side of the business and George had been sidelined, possibly due to his age of 76, as a mere cutlery grinder.”

Stewart discovered that John and his sister Mary moved the business in the late 1920s to number 9 Ironmonger’s Street, and the shop was known as ‘Little Smiths’, so as not to be confused with WH Smiths in High Street. This shop traded into the 1980s.

“Miss Smith (Mary) was famed for knowing where everything was in her crammed and overstocked fancy goods shop, and for riding around on her old bicycle,” he added.

The umbrella making machine pictured was used by George Smith and Son and was built in 1873.

Reflecting on the group, which he never imagined would grow so quickly, Stewart said: “It’s a pleasure to unravel the stories of items often treasured for years in local households with no context attached.

“The group has helped to reveal the significance of the Great North Road on Stamford, the trading routes and how it has affected the growth of the local economy.

“We discover together the links between generations of families here, and afford the opportunity for the wise elders of the town to share their stories and history.

“The group highlights the development and struggles of a small market town into what it has become today, which is echoed by the Pride of Stamford group which keeps the town tidy and litter-free, Frank Newbon’s Outdoor Gym which keeps people fit and healthy, and our ongoing support in resurrecting a town museum.

“Our archives offer a wealth of social history for all to enjoy.”