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THE STREET THAT WENT NOWHERE

The recent demise of Mrs Kent at the age of 90plus who lived at number 62 Broad Street brought back a load of memories that I had of this street. I was nine years old when I moved into Broad Street in 1935 and Mrs Kent was living there at that time with her husband Jake and Ben the dog. Ben was nearly always lying outside the front door and would welcome a pat from any one going past. One of his tricks was, if you said, “Laugh Ben” he would curl up his lips and show all his teeth just like a wide grin. At that time Broad Street only led to the Station Goods Yard, the Common, Hancy’s farm and the marshes and was lined one side with Lime trees from the cinema to Clay’s opening opposite the St Mary’s Church Rooms.

Broad Street 1920

The only traffic was the occasional lorry going to the Goods Station to collect coal or animal feed from the Eastern Farmers Cooperative depot that was based there or into Nethergate Street. This gave us youngsters, and there were quite a number of us living in the street, plenty of room to play games such as Rounders, Hopscotch etc; and with Go-carts made from old pram wheels and soap boxes the down hill gradient from St Mary’s Church Rooms down into Nethergate Street was a gem for us go-cart racers. Many a spill was experienced but no serious injuries were incurred. There were occasions when the street became busy.

Broad Street 1940

Early May after the letting of the common goings, cattle from the various farms in the “Saints” would be driven by drovers down to the Lows and Haycraft (the Common grazing areas) via Broad Street. Us youngsters would help by standing in the openings of the various yards to prevent the cattle from entering. The reverse would take place at the end of October when the cattle, now fat and sleek from the rich pasture, would be driven back to their various farms.

Another occasion was in the sugar beet season when tractors would be up and down the street bringing the beet to be loaded onto the waiting trucks down in the Goods station for onward transmission to the factory. Races were held on the Common several days during the year and this would create turmoil as horses would be arriving by rail and be led up the street for stabling at various public houses in the town. Race days were an exciting time for us youngsters and we would watch all the people and cars converging on the common.

Broad Street 1967 towards the town

Outsiders had to pay an admission fee but Bungay people were allowed on free and the local police stood by the pay boxes to ensure the Bungay people were let in with no trouble. Us youngsters would gather round the water jump I wonder why . Just before a race two smartly dressed riders on white horses would gallop up and down shouting out ‘’Clear the course, clear the course’’. Then came the excitement of the race with the crowd cheering or moaning at the winner and sometimes laughing or jeering as one or two local horses came a cropper or were well beaten. After everything was over for the day we would spend the evening searching in the grass round the grandstands looking for dropped coins, but they were a careful lot as we never found much.

Twice a day we had to give way for a few cows making their way up the street and through Trinity Street to a small farm at the top of Staithe Road where the Primary School playing field now is. After being milked they would return by the same route. Broad Street was quite unique for the number of shops and traders that it contained. There was a Coal Merchant, Sunday School, Bakers, Hay Merchant, Dairy, Stationers Shop, Wine Merchant, Electrical Shop, Dentist, Post Office, Public House, Chimney Sweep, Cinema, Newsagent and a Theatre which was in turn used as a skating rink, boxing booth and was sometimes used by a touring company called the Kingsway Players who put on a number of plays including one I remember well “Maria Marten and the Red Barn”.

Broad Street 1967 towards the Common

There were also back entrances to Bile’s the Builder and Simon’s garage. Boxing was usually on a Friday evening and after Choir practice at St Mary’s a few of us used to sneak in via the projection room and go up to the balcony to watch. The street had every thing you needed and if not, the market place was at the end with a multitude of shops and in Popson Street there was the Chaucer Institute where the elder ones could play billiards or snooker or use the reading room, there were also facilities for the adults to have a bath every Friday night as the club had four bath cubicles. The cost in thse days was one and sixpence and names had to be put down and when a bath cubicle became available a name would be called out. The men had the first session followed by the ladies.

Also on the corner was Patrick’s grocery store, although small was packed top to bottom with everything that you would need. Broad Street was like a miniature town packed with houses both sides, even a small cowshed opposite the Church Rooms. This has now been replaced like some of the houses by Clay’s and associates factory buildings.

When I walk down this street I can still remember what it looked like and can still recall all the names of the people who lived there in those carefree days. Sadly it was not to last, with the war came the army who took over several buildings in the street which then became busy with the various transport they used. Later came the gravel lorries up and down taking the gravel from the common to build the many airfields, which were dotted about the local countryside, the Americans followed taking over part of Clay’s buildings for storage, creating a bakery on the Little Common and a Military Police base on the Big Common.

Later after the war the railway line was closed and the bypass was built in its place. Whilst good for Bungay it has completely changed Broad Street which has now become the main entry to the town and a continual stream of traffic now comes and goes up and down this once tranquil street.

G.Went October 2007.

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