Howden Market Place History


[Howden 1841 census] [Howden 1914 Street Directory]

 

This account of Howden Market Place shops is a work in progress and I would be grateful if anyone who could add memories of the shops, more of the families, photos and of course corrections, could contact me.
As the Market Place in Howden has evolved over the years it is sometimes hard to work out which buildings had which occupants! And memories, which I have collected from local people over the years, may not always be reliable or correctly interpreted.
I have more information on some of the families and shops mentioned.

 

Contact me

1. Market Place, Howden [now Fullers' bakers]
1851 Robert Kettlewell, provision merchant, born Cliffe
1861 Robert Kettlewell
1901 Alfred Thompson, grocer, born Barmby on the Marsh

For a time this was a fish and chip shop run by Mr and Mrs Arthur Shipp.

 

2. Market Place, Howden [now Touchwood]
1851 Henry Sanderson, tailor, b ?Norton
1861 George Simmons, grocer, b Brighton, Sussex
1871 Henry Winter, saddler, b Howden
1901 Henry Kilham, saddler, b Howden

'Mr Harvey S Bailey, grocer, kept this shop. He lived at the corner of St John Street and Applegate. He had two daughters, Joan and Catherine.'
For a time the premises were used as the War Ag. office then Wards took it over as a ladies' department.

 

3. Market Place, Howden [now takeaway food]
1851 Robert Meggitt, painter, b London
1861 Robert Meggitt
1881 John Burnd, painter, b Howden

Many people remember these premises as Wards' tailors.
Moses Ward, originally from Eastrington, was apprenticed to Mr Haigh in Bridgegate. Mr Haigh lived in what much later was known as 'Charlie Fitch's house' which is opposite what is now PA. Mr Ward started business on his own in 1875 in Highbridge. He moved to number 3 Market Place, Howden in between 1881 and 1891.
The shop is Victorian and was probably built for Moses Ward.
His son William Ward was educated at Howden Wesleyan school and began work with his father at the age of 11. After the death of his father in 1912 William continued the business until he was joined by his own son Arthur.
There were two resident apprentices - Arthur Sherburn and Robert Thirkettle.They worked in the back room, sitting crosslegged on a low table, making men's suits
Arthur Ward's son Gordon married Betty Heald and they opened a ladies' dept in the adjoining shop [number 2].

 


4. Market Place, Howden [now a flower shop]
1861 William Rowntree, shoemaker, born Easingwold
1881 Mary Rowntree, widow, boot and shoe dealer, b Preston [Hull]
1891 Robert Thompson, hatter and tobacconist, b Barmby
1901 Jonathan Sowersby, draper, born Garthorpe

Mr Aitken, chemist, lived here and later Ted Willmott ran his carrier and road haulage business from these premises. Possibly it was a betting shop? run by Frank Lead. Then it was Mrs Joan Lead's flower shop.

 

5. Market Place, Howden [now Parkins', butchers]
1861 William Stephenson, tallow chandler, b Hull

In 1867 Thomas Hill, butcher, born Howden,.bought the premises and moved from number 21 Market Place, Howden.
In 1898 Thomas Hill sold the premises to Greenwood Rhodes, a butcher born in Baildon. He eventually moved to farm at Spaldington and in 1918 Mrs Wilde was the occupier when the property was sold to Frank Moore.
Her husband William Loftus Wilde was a cattle dealer from Hemingbrough before the family came to Howden but he died after being kicked by a horse in 1916. The Wilde family had a long association with the butchers' shop and William's son Reg followed in his father's footsteps as a butcher. Reg died in 1941.
John Braham also worked here as assistant before opening his own shop in Hailgate.
The butcher's shop later passed to Frank's son Jack, then to Roy Parkin.

 

6. Market Place, Howden [now Chappelows' newsagents]
In the early years of the 19th century the house was the home of Robert Dunn, agent of the Bishop of Durham. He died in 1847.
In 1851 Mrs Mary Dunn [nee Bell] and described as landed proprietor born Portington was living there. She moved out to Derwent House which she had built in 1853-4.
1861 John Hartley, surgeon, b Marton cum Grafton.
1863 George Sutton was living here when he founded the Goole and Marshland Weekly Times and Howdenshire Gazette. He moved to Goole soon afterwards.
1871 William Miller, draper, b Forfar, Scotland
1881 William Miller
1891 Fanny Sugden, b Howden ran a confectioner's shop here. She was a widow and lived with 3 children and her aunt.
1901 William Stockill, printer, born Brompton. William Stockill ran a jobbing printing business in the premises for many years.
He was followed by Leonard Asquith who also ran a printing business here in partnership with Mr Holroyd [any more information as to who he was is welcome!] as Holroyd and Asquith. They printed posters, local post cards [many of which survive], dance cards etc.
After printing ceased the shop continued as a newsagents. Geoff Winn, who ran it, married Dorothy Asquith, Leonard's daughter.

 

The newsagents' shop of Geoff and Dorothy Winn in the 1950s

 


Then came Geoff Andrews and his wife and now the newsagents is owned by Messrs Chappelow.

 

7. Market Place, Howden [now Veronica's beauticians]
Was originally part of Robert Dunn's house.
'Used by dentist Mr Gorham as temporary surgery'.

 

8. Market Place, Howden - Board Inn
This was a spirit vault and did not become a pub until 1941.
1861 William Carter Gaggs, born Howden
1891 John Hillkirk, wine and spirit store manager, b Tideswell, Derbyshire
1901 Tabitha Simpson, widow, wine and spirit merchant, b Leeds

William 'Billy' Coupland, who was agent for John Smith's brewery, stored beer behind the Board in premises facing Hailgate.
Premises were converted into a pub in 1941 when Mr Eccles came from Hull with his family to escape the bombing.
Mr Eccles was a keen cricketer and put the scores outside on a blackboard. The Board was one of the first places in Howden to have a radiogram - a collection made for popular records and then they were bought from Sheppards' in Goole
Also there were Sunday night suppers and pie and peas. Howden Athletic Football team was based there - changed there.
Mr Eccles left in 1953.
Mr Oldfield and family were there in the 1960s.
G S Beecham, known as 'Tinny', was a tinsmith whose shop was near the Board Inn yard.

 

9. Market Place, Howden [now candy shop]
1851 Charles Hutchinson, ironmonger, b Howden
1861 James Lightfoot, grocer, b Bubwith
1891 James Lightfoot
1901 Thomas Andrew, plumber, b Barmby on the Marsh

Later the plumbers was run by Thomas' sons Jack and Billy Andrew. Billy lived on the premises and was cared for by his sister 'Lizzie' who was lame and had a speech impediment. Their brother Jack lived in the old hospital where the fire station is. He was a fireman.
When Lizzie was living on her own a widowed sister came to live with her. They sold cotton, thread etc but never had much stock.
Later John Walker, painter & decorator, had the shop, then the Farmers' Union, then Elliott's antiques.

 

9A next to No. 9, Market Place, Howden [now part of White Horse]
1861 Garland Sanderson, tailor, b Skirlaugh
1891 Thomas Tomlinson, retired cooper, b Thorne
1901 Thomas Tomlinson
Later Megson's grocers.

 

10. White Horse Inn
The inn was recorded as early as 1702.
1822 an alehouse licence was granted to John Buttle. George Wadsworth of Laxton stood surety.
1851 Richard Lindley, b Epworth, was landlord.
Mrs Sarah Lindley was landlady after her husband’s death.
1871 Wm Wheldrake b Howdendyke
1891 William Clarkson was landlord, b Newsholme
1901 Hannah Clarkson, landlady, b Asselby

 

Shire Hall
Three/four premises were demolished to make way for the Shire Hall when it was built in 1871-2. The site was bought from Mrs Mary Dunn.
In 1851 the shops were occupied by William Leaf, tailor; Ann Rowntree, china dealer; John Pease, shoemaker, who also ran the premises as a Temperance Hotel, and John Wood, gunsmith and bellhanger.
In 1871, just before they were demolished, one shop was still occupied by Mrs Fanny Woodall, widow of auctioneer Charles Woodall.

The new Shire Hall included a new shop:
1891 Charles O Bastow, watchmaker, b Armley
1901 Charles O Bastow
Mr Bastow and his family lived in the flat in the Shire Hall above what is now the Shire Hall shop. His son, Harold, who was a starter at local sports events, had the shop at No. 28 Market Place, Howden. He sold trophies there.
Later the first ladies' hairdresser in Howden, Noreen Milns, used these premises. There was a was ladies' hairdresser there for many years - Mrs Una Porter, also Val's.

The Shire Hall was used extensively for dances, concerts and bazaars etc. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings it was used as a cinema. Silent films were shown by Chris Kettlewell. Seats were 2d, 4d, 6d and 1s. Regular stars were Tom Mix, the cowboy and Chon Chan, the Chinese detective.
?Miss Draycott, who was blind, was the pianist. Mr Tom Savage [former manager of ?Gallons] said he used to buy 1d worth of unshelled monkey nuts and 1d worth of broken toffee from Robinson's to eat before he went in.

 

The next block of shops was demolished in the 1960s and then rebuilt up to Highbridge corner. They originally were:


14. Market Place, Howden, next to the Shire Hall
Robert Sunderland's butchers' shop with slaughterhouse in rear. Robert Sunderland was born at Heck and was related to the Sunderland butchers' family in Goole. He died in 1914.
However one brother, Harold, and two sisters, Lilian and Nell, remained.
Harold Sunderland was a local historian and wrote books and articles in the Hull Times.
Lilian was a piano teacher and after ?Edie Armstrong died Lil took over playing the piano at the Shire Hall. She had to look at the screen and play appropriate music. Sometimes she didn't quite keep up and played romantic music when a cowboy was being shot! She didn’t have a chance to see the film first as there were two changes a week, on Wednesday and Friday.
Nell looked after them all and smoked like a chimney. She went to all the whist drives and always had a Woodbine in her mouth.
She ran the library. Mrs Harris and Mrs Whitehead used to stamp books.

 

15. Market Place, Howden [now about where Rhythm 'n Booze is]
1861 William Selly, chemist, b Grafton
1891 Albert Croudson, ironmonger, b Goole
1901 Mary Chantry, tobacconist, b Rawcliffe
Later a shop selling ribbons and fancy goods.

 

Market Place, Howden
1861 George Briggs, ironmonger, b Fishlake
Property here was demolished to allow for corner widening. Golden Cottage is now on the site. It is not easy therefore to say exactly who lived where

 

16. Market Place, Howden [now HSBC bank]
There has been a bank here for many years. The first was the York City and County bank.
1861 Thomas Clough, manager, b Selby
Charles Wilkinson, b Tadcaster, was bank manager in 1901.
Later it became the Midland bank. Harry Carlisle, then one of the bank clerks, lived in a flat upstairs.

 

17. Market Place, Howden [now Cleggs' auctioneers etc]
For many years in the 19th century this was Richardsons' watchmakers.
Later this was Matthews' fruit and veg. Mr Matthews also had a stall in the Shire Hall.
This was possibly the same Mr and Mrs Matthews who celebrated their golden wedding in 1947 when the Hull and East Riding Times reported that:
"Mr John Wm Matthews of Bridgegate was now 82 and was a horsebreaker. He was the eldest son of Thomas William Matthews who was also a horsebreaker and dealer. He had his business in stables rented on the Angel Inn premises in Batty Lane. Mrs Matthews was the housekeeper at the Angel and so met her husband. She was the sixth daughter of Mr and Mrs F Brabbs of Mt Pleasant Farm, Newport. Mrs Matthews moved premises to Bridgegate and retired two years since."
Then the shop was run by Mrs Morris, greengrocer, who lived at North Howden.
Later in the 1960s the shop was Willis Redfearn's chemists'.

 

18. Market Place, Howden [now a hair salon]
For many years this was Fitch's, a double fronted milliners' and drapers' shop. The last of this branch of the family was Charlie Fitch who lived in Bridgegate opposite the police station, now PA.
The shop was later a mini- supermarket and briefly a gallery.

 

Manor House
Many people remember that Mr and Mrs Alf Kellington lived there in the 1930s/40s. They had previously run a cafe at what is now the Cheese shop. Mrs Kellington catered for weddings etc.
Mr Alf Kellington was a freemason, and was in the choir. He didn't seem to take a part in the cafe or baking business. Mrs Kellington baked, helped by Mrs Wright. Mrs Kellington used to test to see if cakes were ready with one of her hairpins. Mr Sam Wright was a chemist and was said to have played cricket for Derbyshire.The Wrights came to Howden and were taken in by Mrs Kellington who gave them accommodation. Mrs Wright worked very hard.

 

 

House, now gone, near The Ashes gateway
1861 Mary Cook, dressmaker, b Goole
The house was divided into two and was at different times the Labour Exchange [Mr Sherbourne manager] and the Salvation Army HQ.
Mrs Barnes had one part as a dressmaker's workshop and also it was Thirkettles, boot and shoe shop and Miss Thirkettle too was a dressmaker.

 


Dog and Duck [churchyard]
This stood in front of the church ruins.
It was formerly known as The Seven Stars.
1822 alehouse licence granted to Thomas Iveson. Standing surety was George Maskell of Howden, shoemaker.
1851 landlord of the Dog and Duck was Goodworth Fox, b Howden
1861 William Coggrave, landlord, b Howden
The last landlord was William Coles.


Above is the Dog and Duck [left, white] and William Jipson's shop with blinds down, gable end on. Postcard by Holroyd and Asquith

 

Next to the Dog and Duck was a tall building, matched by a similar one at the other end of Church side.
In 1851/1861 it was occupied by John Richardson, watchmaker, b Bubwith. The Richardson family were long established Bubwith clockmakers and family members later worked in Goole and Selby. Another of the family was at No. 17 Market Place, Howden, Howden.
The buildings were demolished in 1913 and the site given to the church by Mr Scholfield of Sandhall.

 


20. Market Place, Howden [now the Cheese Shop]
1851 John Steel, grocer, b Scalby
1861 Charles Woodall, grocer and auctioneer, b Hambleton
1881 William Jipson, b Howden
1901 William Jipson. The shop was later run by his son Herbert.
It was later owned by Mrs Kellington and then by Bill Kitwood.
The shop was Mike Lawson's butchers' in the 1990s.

 


21. Market Place, Howden [now the Nat West bank]
1851 George Allen, butcher, b Haxey
1861 Thomas Hill, butcher, b Howden
1881 Robert Sutherby, shoemaker, b Selby
followed by J C Jenkinson, draper and milliner.

 


22. Market Place, Howden [redeveloped 2007]
22 and 23 were one building, the Lincoln Tavern, in the early 19th century.
1822 alehouse licence for Lincoln Tavern granted to John Townend. Surety was George Day of Howden, hardwareman.
The premises were split into two in the early 1820s.
1826 Alehouse licence for John Townend of the Whittington and Cat at Howden.
1851 Ann Chadwick, innkeeper, b Saddleworth
1881 John Tabrah, fancy goods, b Howden
Mr Jenkinson bought No. 22 to extend his next door shop. It.was lower. You turned right into it and it sold all sorts - material, cotton, embroidery, silks, stockings. It was pulled down and was left as a 'gap' for several years with seating and a mural. Now redeveloped.

 


23. Market Place, Howden [now redeveloped, 2007]
These premises were a butchers' for many years.
1851 Richard Fleming, butcher, b Howden
1881 Antony Taylor, butcher, b Kilpin.
1901 John Draycott, butcher, b Howden
'This was Gerry Hodgson's pork butchers. It had a slaughterhouse at the back, into Vicar Lane. It was a building two storeys high, like an old farm house with a low roof. It was pulled down by Butlers.

 


24. Market Place, Howden [now redeveloped]
For many years Butler's general shop and newsagents stood here but it has recently been redeveloped.
In the early 1800s numbers 24 and 25 were F. Ullathorne's grocers but later the premises were made into 2 shops.
In 1851 the shop nearest the church was the premises of William Small, bookseller and printer. William was one of the two sons and two daughters of William Small of London, a grocer, and his wife Dorothy. Dorothy was born Dorothy Justice and her brother, William Andrews Justice, until his death in 1830, had run a thriving bookselling and printing business in Howden in the premises at the end of the Market Place, Howden (now occupied by a flower shop).

William Small's brother Alfred lived in Aire Street, Goole and in 1854 founded the Goole and Marshland Gazette. Alfred married 17 year old Mary Ann Mitchell of Yokefleet and had one daughter Mary Ann born in 1851.
After ten years of running the paper Alfred sold out to James Jillott in September 1864. His brother William still ran the printing business in Howden and lived with their youngest sister, Justice, who later built herself a fine house at 2, Churchside, Howden which still bears her initials [JS]. William died in 1868 and his sister Justice in 1901.
Alfred retired to Laxton where his wife died in August 1867. There is a memorial to her in the church there. Their daughter, Mary Ann, married Henry [Harry] Smith, an affluent farmer with connections to the Leeds woollen industry. They lived variously at Thorpe Hall, near Howden, which was owned by Alfred Small, and at Grove Farm, Portington. In 1906 Henry bought Portington Grange estate where their descendants lived until around 1940.

1881 William Kirkland, b Melton Mowbray, bookseller and printer was occupying the former Small premises in the Market Place, Howden, Howden.

 


25. Market Place, Howden
1851 James Hill, shoemaker, b Howden
1881 Henry Harrison, b Gilberdyke, master cordwainer
'The original Butler’s shop was only a small shop where they sold papers and sweets and did a bit of baking.
Next door was Mrs Sowersby's draper's shop. Later Miss ?Polly Whitehead, a retired teacher, ran it as a wool shop. Before that Alf Armstrong had it as wallpaper shop'.
[This is not quite clear and I would be glad if anyone could contact me and straighten it out!]

 


26. Market Place, Howden [now beauty salon]
This was a grocer's and provision shop for many years.
1851 and 1861 Edward Banks, grocer, b Howden
1881 William Kay, grocer, b Catterick
William Kay's was taken over by Cussons. In 1923 Cussons built a new shop on Bridgegate [now the bathroom shop]. Melia's grocery chain - managed by ?Eric Kellington - took over the Market Place, Howden shop.

 

Here you can see the name board of Kay and Sons with Cussons' board above. The White Horse inn is on the right.

 

Later the shop was Gallons. Then a wet fish shop
For a time it was Albert Thorley's gents' tailor and outfitter [when?].

 

 

27. Market Place, Howden [now Atkinsons' bakery]
1861 William Dawson, grocer and draper, b Caltman Lindrick?, Notts
1881 Martin Farrer, linen and woollen draper, b Birstall
1901 George Everingham, tailor and draper, b Market Weighton
Later this was the premises of Mrs Dora Davis and was her photographer's studio. Her husband was the school attendance officer. She later lived in a bungalow on Thorpe Road.
'Her mother sold bric a brac and was tall lady with skirts down to the ground. She was killed in a fire in the cellar' [??]
The shop become Wrights' second hand shop and later ??SP Woods.
More recently it was Goods Travel.

 


28. Market Place, Howden
28 and 29 were originally one and owned by George Dunn, a cooper [there in 1851, b Howden].
1861 George Sutton briefly lived here [see No. 6, Market Place, Howden for more details], occupation was 'printing and fancy goods'.

Harold Bastow. had a trophy shop here [?1920s/30s]. He was the son of Charles O Bastow and often acted as official starter at local cycling and sports events.
It was a seed shop -?Eric Johnson, then NFU
In the 1990s this was a gift shop, Adornaments.

 

29. Market Place, Howden [now takeaway]
1851 William Harrison, grocer, b Hull
1861 George Sutton, b Lincoln
1881 John Platts, butcher, b Melbourne
1901 Margaret Tabrah, confectioner, b Howden
1931 January Hull Times:

"Mrs Woodall is giving up her sweetshop in Market Place, Howden. She has occupied it for 40 years and her sister Miss Tabrah before her. Business to be sold."


'Mrs Harrison later ran the shop. Her daughter Phyllis, a postlady, married Sid Sherburn who was the driver for local buses between Howden and Goole.'

 

 

30. Market Place, Howden [now fruit shop]
This was split into 2 premises for many years:
1851 Thomas Goodall, druggist, b Howden
1851 William Rowntree, shoemaker1881 J Haw, provisions
1881 Tom Favel, beef and pork butcher
1901 Joseph Palframan, butcher, b Goole

'Favel’s butcher's assistant was John Braham who later set up on his own in Hailgate. It was later an Argentine beef shop selling frozen beef. Mr Harold Naylor was the manager. He later moved to run his own shop in Bridgegate.
The shop shut down in the war and was used as a salvage depot where waste paper etc was stored.'
Later run by Leads as fruit shop.

 

31. Market Place, Howden
1851 James Wainwright, chemist, b Malton
1861 John Saville, chemist, b Sheffield. His father and then he and his sister, Elizabeth Wadsworth, owned Albert Terrace.
1881 Robert Latham
1901 Robert Latham, chemist, b Yokefleet

'Latham's chemists went round the corner into Vicar Lane. Mr Latham was also registrar of births, marriages and deaths.
Later this was Mrs Bramley's confectioners and cooked meats shop and cafe. Her daughter Annie carried on the business. Brother Charlie Bramley was a clerk at Andertons'.

 

32. Market Place, Howden [now Goods and Chattels]
1851 William Deighton, b Spofforth, draper
1861 Mary Smith, b Colne, Lancs, wife of hatter and furrier
1881 uninhabited
1901 John Thomas Hill, watchmaker, b Howden

William Stockill had a newsagents and jobbing printing busines here. He sold to W Beal who in March 1928 sold the printing, stationery and fancy goods business to the Goole Times Company. Jobbing printing continued for some years. The last printers to use the printing equipment at the back of the shop were Percy Jeeves and Ted Philpott.
The Goole Times appointed a resident manageress to run the shop premises - first Mrs Dudley, then Mrs E Walker then Mrs Ken Powls.
Mr W Norman Hains from Eastrington worked as reporter for the Goole Times and had an office here in the back of the shop.

 

33. Market Place, Howden [now Dove House hospice shop]
[demolished and rebuilt]
1851 Henry Marsden, tanner
1861 Thomas Tomlinson, cooper
1881 Annie Bell, glass and china dealer, b Howden
1901 John Howdle, b Howden

The Howdles are a long established Howden family and for many years provided the town with boots and shoes and legal advice.
Harold Howdle had a shoe shop in Boothferry Road, Goole; Lawrence Howdle lived in ?Jessamine House, Hailgate. Wilf Howdle was a solicitor and clerk to various organisations. His office is now Taylor Broomers [55 Hailgate]. He and his wife lived at The Chestnuts.

In the 1990s the shop was Rob Winlow, optician.

 


34. Market Place, Howden [Dove house hospice shop]
also rebuilt.
1851 Sarah Mathewman, widow, ironmonger, b Thorne
1881 William Mann, grocer and gardener, b Howden
1901 Alfred Howdle, grocer, b Howden
'Later this was the shop of the Burwell family who lived on Pinfold Street. It was a very dark shop. The last member of the family was Harry Burwell who married Zillah Wright.'

 


35. Market Place, Howden [now part of Co-op.]
1901 Henry Fitch, boot and shoemaker
'This was Harry Gibson's crockery shop then later it was Ted Fletcher's jewellery shop before he set up in business in Carlisle Street, Goole'.

 

Half Moon [now Co-op.]
This was one of the largest and most impressive inns in Howden. A letter survives from 1661 addresed to the Half Moon at Howden. It was owned for many years in the 18th century by the Bullen family. It passed into the Dunn family in 1785.
1822 alehouse licence granted to Robert Foster. Surety was William Mathewman of Howden, tinplate worker
1881 Charles Burrows, b Leeds

The Half Moon was rebuilt in 1890. Howden Co-op. [a branch of the Hull Co-op.] moved there from their Churchside premises c 1931.
Mr Hiles was the landlord from 1921-31. Extracts below come from the memories written by his son Bill Hiles:


'My father became landlord of the Half Moon in 1921 and left in 1931 when the brewers, Bentleys Yorkshire Breweries, closed it down.
Part of the original inn was a lock-up shop, Fletchers the jeweller and clockmaker. Next to that was Gibsons who had a china shop and also sold and repaired boots and shoes. Gibsons lived behind and above their shop and had a rear entrance into Half Moon yard.

 

The Half Moon as it looked in the 1920s


On the corner of the yard entrance was a corn and seed merchant in a lock-up shop which was only open on Saturdays.
On the first floor was a large sitting room on the corner, above the lounge smoking room. There were five large bedrooms, four of which overlooked Bridgegate and one at the rear overlooking the outbuildings and the yard. On the landing was a water closet and as there was no sewerage system I can only assume that this discharged into the Old River Derwent. Water was provided by rainwater from the roof which was collected in a large underground cistern under the corn and seed shop; from here it was pumped by a hand operated pump into a tank in the roof from which it gravitated to the WC cistern.
This water and the water from the pumped well at the Half Moon was unsuitable for drinking and therefore all drinking water was carried from the Bowman's in cans and buckets from their drinking water well halfway up the yard. Some rainwater was boiled and filtered in a stoneware charcoal filter in the bar because this treated water had a special appeal for whisky drinkers.
To the right of the yard entrance was the wash house in which there was a coal fired copper for heating water. Apart from the usual wringer dolly tub wash tub and bench the wash house had a six foot cast iron bath for the use of family and guests. On wash days and bath nights water had to be carried to fill the copper where it was heated then ladled out.
Immediately in front of the yard entrance was an arched throughway which led to Burwell's, the grocers', yard. On the right of the archway there was a coach house in which Gibsons garaged their Model T Ford. In the yard and on the Bridgegate side there was an open fronted coach shed in 5 bays.
To the right was a coach house used by Draycott the butcher to garage his car and then came a stable with 5 stalls. Most of the time of our occupation my father used this stable as a workshop. He was a skilled carpenter and joiner and in between pulling pints he made gates and sheds for the farmers and at times when trade was bad in the hotel he went out to work. One of the stables housed the stakes and hurdles to make up the pens for the fatstock show which was held each year towards Christmas time. The pigs were shown in the Half Moon yard and the cattle in the Bowman's yard.
On Saturdays which was market day the Half Moon, Bowman's and Wellington were open all day from 10.30am until 10pm. On these days the farmers and merchants and sometimes farmworkers would stand on the pavement in front of the Wellington and Half Moon.
Many of the farmers came into town in a pony and trap or dog cart and these were stabled in the hotel yards; some even came on their bicycles. Only the very few rich farmers had cars and they would park them in Bridgegate for all to witness their prosperity.
Half Moon corner was the Market Place/Bridgegate junction and was known as a popular meeting place at all times. During the day the unemployed would stand there waiting for a job; some would stand there waiting for opening time and others would be waiting for a friend.'


The Half Moon was bought by Hull Co-op. c. 1931. Cyril Bottomley, Arthur Clayton and Sid Bunting were well known assistants. Mr Tommy Buckle was manager of the Co-op. and moved with it from Churchside to the present site. Mr F. Parker was a later manager in the 1930s and was very involved in local community affairs [1935].
The Co-op. bakery was where the restaurant/wine bar is now on Vicar Lane. The new shop development was where the stables were. The cart was still kept there by the Co-op. after the war and used to be driven by Mr Drury and Mr Jack Neville and later by his son. They delivered groceries. The cart was later replaced by a lorry.