No.64-72 High Street

No.64

No.66-72

No.64-66 [Later 64-70]

No.68-70

No.72

• Holland, Barrett & Layng

• In the late 19th century there were three business men; William Holland, Alfred Slapps Barrett and George Freestone Layng, who jointly set up grocers & wine merchants shops in Sudbury and Newmarket High Street called Holland, Barrett & Layng.
  On 23rd January 1896 they dissolved their partnership (see details below), George continued on his own with the much loved Layng's grocers in Newmarket, which sadly is now gone .... Holland & Barrett continued with their partnership in Sudbury and became, well ...
  Holland & Barrett.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_%26_Barrett
  
  There's a moral in there somewhere ...
  
  
• William Holland was born in 1847 in Stockport, Cheshire and moved to Bishop's Stortford sometime before 1881, where he died in 1915.
  
  Alfred Slaps Barrett, born in 1850, started his career sometime before 1871 as a grocer living on Market Hill, Cambridge.
  He moved to Bishop's Stortford and married Eliza Ann Dodd in 1877.
  He was a pillar of the local community, always willing to help and associated with most organisations in Bishop's Stortford, where he died on 19th June 1933.
  
  In 1881 George Layng was a Grocer's Assistant at a Grocer & Drapers shop in Snettisham Norfolk - he was born in 1863 in Foulden, Norfolk.
  
  Holland, Barrett & Layng was one of the many partnerships that Holland and Barrett entered into with a variety of local grocer shop owners - other locations include Oxford Street, High Wycombe and Botolph Lane, London.
  
  It doesn't look like the partnership with George Freestone Layng lasted very long, as the planning details below show the triple-named shop front being created in June 1893 and the London Gazette article shows the partnership being dissolved by 23rd January 1896.
  
  
• The history of this row of shops in the High Street is quite complicated; as the divisions between them has changed over the years.
  
  On the 1891 Census George Layng and John Freeman were in their respective shops and Manning Ashford was in No.72 High Street - the shop that later became Whipps Fishmongers.
  
  In 1901 Layngs was just in the shop next to the Bull (No.64-66 High Street) and on its left was Rogers & Co. Chemists in No.68-70. At that time none of the shops between this and the Hotel Victoria (No.82 High Street) were shown as occupied on the census.
  
  Later Layngs took over and expanded into No.68-70, creating a double-width shop front.
  
  As the 1970s photograph of Layngs in the Photos section below shows, Whipps was demolished first in the 1970s and soon after Layngs followed in 1978, to be replaced by the present building that covers all these shops.
  
  [Note all these house numbers are their present-day values and do not represent their original usage.]
  
  
• Former grocer leaves £900,000 - Jeanette Daly and her first husband once ran Layngs grocers:-
  http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/news/latest-news/former-grocer-leaves-163-900-000-1-545297
  
  

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• Unexploded Bomb

February 18th 1941 - photo courtesy of the Newmarket Local History Society

• Note from webmaster - I have a few claims-to-fame regarding these shops. Firstly for Whipps fishmongers; both my Granddad Jack and Uncle Fred worked there for many years.
  The first of the bombs that fell on Newmarket, Tuesday, February 18th 1941, landed very close-by on the other side of Market Street and completely demolished shoe shop Freeman, Hardy & Willis and the Marlborough Club above.
  Another bomb had landed on the fish smokery in the back yard of Whipps, where my Granddad was working at the time and failed to explode - he was thrown to the ground, fortunately mostly unhurt.
  
  My Dad, who'd just had his 12th birthday two weeks previous, was at the Newmarket Secondary Modern School in Exning Road and can remember seeing the smoke rising over the high street. Afterwards Jack cycled home to Exning Road and re-counted to his family how he remembers everything falling down around him and all the dust rising.
  
  Next for Layngs and its former Manageress Mrs. Daly (nee Jeacock / Dunget) - my Mum was her housekeeper and close friend & companion for many years up until she died in 2007.
  
  At the time of the Newmarket bombing, around 1941, 'Miss' Dunget was a primary school teacher at Woodditton School.
  My Mum recounts how she'd give out sticks of orange candy she brought in from Layngs to give out to good pupils - a real treat during these austere war years.
  
  Finally, prior to that my Nan was housekeeper for Jeanette Daly's widowed Mother; Daisy Jeacock - I can remember vividly visiting with my Nan this kindly lady, with her caged budgie, in her house in Warrington Street. Jeanette's Father; Bertie William Jeacock, from Launton, Oxfordshire, was a Compositor and became joint owner of the Newmarket Journal.
  
  

• Whipps

After serving the people of Newmarket for nearly 50 years, Whipps the fishmongers finally closed on Christmas Eve. As our picture shows the shop was doing business right to the end. Taking a short breather are the staff, from left: Mrs. L. Self, Mr. Put- man, Mr. F. Rippington and Mr. T. Hall. (Photo: Peter Faulkes).

• The above photo and caption are taken from the Newmarket Journal on Thursday 2nd January 1975 - many thanks to June Oliver for sending these details about her Father: Fred Rippington (my Uncle).
  
  

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• Jennings Bet (Better)

• 

  Newmarket Journal New betting shop to open Published 28/02/2008 A NEW betting shop is set to open in Newmarket High Street on the eve of this year's Grand National. Better, which currently has about 30 shops, the majority of which are in London, plans to open in the store formerly occupied by clothes retailer Jumpers. A licence has been granted by Forest Heath Council. The opening will bring the number of betting shops in the town into double figures, nearly half of which are run by Ladbrokes with Jennings, Corals and Fred Done. Better spokesman Con Byrne said: "We plan to open a shop in Newmarket on April 4, which is the eve of the Grand National. "We realise that some of the bigger bookmakers are already present in the town but we are happy to take them on with offers and suchlike."

  
  

• Building Changes

• Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds Branch
  Newmarket Urban District Council Records
  Reference EF 506
• Alterations to shop, High St, for Holland, Barrett & Laying (Holland & Son) EF 506/6/1/H66 Apr 1893
• Shop front, High St, for Holland, Barrett & Layng (Holland & Son) EF 506/6/1/H65 Jun 1893
• Shop front, High St, for Layng & Co EF 506/6/1/17/569 Sep 1920
• Alterations to shop front, High St, for G.N. Croger EF 506/6/1/20/708 Mar 1925 [Whipps]
  
  
• Planning Application - F/78/322
  64 - 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 16-06-1978
  Redevelopment of shop site with 3 new lock-up shops as amended by letter dated 5th July 1978 and drawings Nos 1618/SK1/B and 1618/SK2/B received on 10th July 1978.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/79/143
  64 - 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 05-03-1979
  Redevelopement of site with 3 lock up shops.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/79/872
  Units 1 & 2 64 - 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 29-11-1979
  New shopfront to bakery and catering shop.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/79/772
  64 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 05-12-1979
  Change of use from retail class 1 to bakers/instore bakery sale of food for consumption on and off premises.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/81/039
  64 - 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 24-12-1980
  Installation of shopfront and interior fittings.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/83/053
  Unit 3 64 - 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 20-01-1983
  New shop front as amended by letters dated 17.2.83 and 11.3.83.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/88/737
  64-72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 23-08-1988
  New shop front.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/89/195
  64 72 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 10-03-1989
  Repositioning and setting forward of existing shop front.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/96/285
  64 High Street Newmarket Suffolk
  Application Registered 28-05-1996
  Remove existing shopfront and replace with new timber shopfront.
  
  
• Planning Application - F/2007/0770/COU
  64 High Street Newmarket
  Application Registered 14-09-2007
  Change of use from Class A1 (Retail) to Class A2 (Financial and Professional Services).
  Applicant - Better
  
  
• Planning Application - F/2012/0560/COU
  Greggs 66 High Street Newmarket
  Application Registered 24-09-2012
  Use of pavement to place table, chairs and barriers in association with Greggs (Development affecting the setting of a Listed Building).
  
  
• George Freestone Layng clearly had business interests elsewhere in Newmarket as shown in the 1916 Kelly's Directory listing shown above and in the following planning applications:-
• Bacon-curing room, Corn Mills, Exning Rd, for G.F. Layng (Holland & Son) EF 506/6/1/2/87 Nov 1897
• Nine cottages, Exning Rd, for G.F. Layng (Holland & Sons) EF 506/6/1/7/69 Aug 1901
• Four cottages, Exning Rd, for G.F. Layng (Holland & Son) EF 506/6/1/7/80 Nov 1901
• Cottages and shop, Exning Rd, for G.F. Layng (Holland & Son) EF 506/6/1/J143 Feb 1902
• Five cottages, King Edward VII Rd, for George F. Layng (Holland & Sons) EF 506/6/1/8/102 Jun 1902
• Stabling etc, Newmarket Mills, Exning Rd, for G.F. Layng (Holland & Sons) EF 506/6/1/9/163 Jul 1903
• Alterations and additions, shop premises, Mill Hill, Exning Rd, for G.F. Layng (Holland & Son) EF 506/6/1/9/166 Jul 1903
  
  

Newmarket Mills, Exning Road - 1886



• In the map above the row of houses on the right is Bakers Row, still there today on Exning Road. Many will remember where the Gas Works was and the track leading up to Newmarket Mills is where the Newmarket Motor Company garage is now, at the side of Freshfields. Waterloo Lodge was where the famous racehorse trainer Mat Dawson spent his final days.
  
  

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• Many thanks to Peter Norman for his photos of Whipps & Co. and Layngs.
  
  
• Many thanks to Tony Pringle for the photo 'G.F. Layng 1910'.
  
  
• Many thanks to 'Old Newmarket' for the photos 'Layng & Co. c.1915', 'G.F. Layng 1902', 'Centre of high Street c. 1900' and 'G.F. Layng c. 1900'.