Layerthorpe project

Kidd’s Terrace and Kidd family photos

Lisa @YorkStories — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 20:36:31 +0000

Louisa Kidd (nee Stock) and classmates, early 1900s

The photos on this page were contributed by Mark Turner, whose family lived on Kidd’s Terrace.

Above, Mark’s grandmother Louisa Kidd (nee Stock) and classmates. Louisa was born in 1900.

Evelyn Kidd was presented with this book ‘for good conduct and regular attendance’ at the local Sunday school.

Bookplate of book presented to Evelyn Kidd at Layerthorpe Sunday School, 1915

On the Kidd’s Terrace page, Mark left a comment mentioning that his great grandfather Henry Kidd built the terrace. Henry was a Freeman of York, and this photo shows one of the documents relating to this, dating from 1838.

Henry Kidd of Layerthorpe, Freeman of York document

Mark says this is ‘my mum aunt & uncle plus 1, I think in Kidds Terrace’.

Kidd family in the 1930s, probably at Kidd’s Terrace

Kidd’s Terrace street photo, maybe dating from the end of the First World War?

Kidd’s Terrace street photo

Many families from the Layerthorpe area moved elsewhere, many to Tang Hall. This photo shows one of the coronation parties there in 1937.

Tang Hall coronation party, 1937

Many thanks to Mark Turner for sending these images.

Rymer Street: photos before demolition

Lisa @YorkStories — Wed, 18 May 2016 14:06:24 +0000

Jane Burrows from Tang Hall Local History Group sent me these photos of a rather derelict Rymer Street before the houses were demolished. The amount of debris in the street suggests that this work to clear them had already begun.

As mentioned before, of particular interest is why these streets were demolished, and how that was experienced at the time, with residents moving elsewhere. Some readers have filled in the questionnaire which includes questions on this — thank you if you’ve contributed to that. Some of the answers have been included on the pages about individual streets.

On our own map, drawn from earlier maps, Rymer Street and Faber Street were next to one another. What’s particularly interesting now, in the 21st century, is that half of Faber Street still has the original houses, while the other side has been cleared and built on again with newer houses, as has Rymer Street. This link to Google Street View shows Faber Street, with the nineteenth century terraced houses on the left.

So, I wonder, why were some retained and others demolished?

Portland Place

Lisa @YorkStories — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 11:06:29 +0000

Portland Place on the 1852 map (from www.yorkmaps.net/1852)

Though it appears to have disappeared off the map by the mid 20th century, Portland Place, off Layerthorpe, is prominent in the 1852 map of the Layerthorpe area. Mike Kettlewell’s ancestors lived there. Thanks to Mike for completing the questionnaire and providing this information:

Portland Place was accessed via a passage on the main Layerthorpe Road and was the 3rd yard on the left hand side, walking from Layerthorpe Bridge (John Bull Yard and Chickory Yard being the 1st and 2nd respectively, in 1909).

Mike’s ancestors lived at number 10, from around October 1904 to about September 1909. The house was rented, owned by George Rawling. Mike writes:

10 Portland Place was built in 1849. It was a 3 roomed house situated at the bottom of the yard, on the right hand side: beyond it was a wall which seperated it from the shallow river bank.

My ancestors who resided at the house in Portland Place were; George Casper (born 1848, died 23rd May 1912 York Union Workhouse); Mary Casper (nee Davis, b1848, d10th December 1909 York Union Workhouse): my great grandparents. Their children; George Henry Casper (b1875, d1951 York); Thomas William Casper (b1880, d1910 York); Lily Casper (b1882, d1908 10 Portland Place); Charlotte Casper (b1885, d1956 York); Peter Casper (b1888, d1950 York); Annie Casper (my gran, b1892, d1946); and also my grandad, William Richard Gray (b1887, d1974). In 1907 there were 9 family members living in 3 rooms in Portland Place.

Rymer Street

Lisa @YorkStories — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 19:47:21 +0000

Thanks to Trev A, who lived at 30 Rymer Street between 1935 and 1960, for the following memories and description (via the questionnaire):

It was called a two up and a two downer. The front room (Sitting room) was for special occasions i.e. Easter, Christmas and if any relatives came to visit then out came the china tea set. The back room was kitchen/dinner room where we all ate our meals. Upstairs two bed rooms and they were cold during winter no double glazing in them days. The front bed room over looked Rymer St; back bed room overlook the lane way also could see ‘Laycocks Field’. The back yard was concrete with a outside toilet and during winter you did not hang about reading a paper in the toilet.

Bonnie Foster lived at 29 Rymer Street from 1964-1972:

Our house was 2up 2 down with a outside toilet, the bath was in the kitchen.
It was freezing cold in the winter, it was a very small house 3 to one bedroom but i have fond memories of my time there, everyone was so friendly

The city archives online collection had no photos of Rymer Street, but we’ve since been sent two photos of the street before it was demolished.

Kidd’s Terrace

Lisa @YorkStories — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:53:22 +0000

Just the one photo of Kidd’s Terrace, from the city archives. How it looked in the 1950s, from Hallfield Road. (Update: see also Kidd’s Terrace and Kidd family photos.)

David lived at 7 Kidd’s Terrace from 1940 to 1967 (when the houses were demolished):

Our house had front room, living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms. Outside toilet in yard, with a large brick shed which had originally had a brick built wash boiler fuelled by a fire. We overlooked the Ropewalk & towards the rear of the Corporation Depot. We had of course full electric & water services.

… Landlady was Eliza Irvine who lived at 26 Kidd’s Tce. She was a relative of the Kidd family who had originally built the houses c.1860. & other members of that family either lived and/or owned houses in the Terrace, which had 28 houses in total.

Redeness Street

Lisa @YorkStories — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 09:16:41 +0000

George IV pub, Redeness Street. Photo: Explore York Libraries and Archives

Trevor Keeler lived at 23 Redeness Street from 1941 to 1957. In the questionnaire he described his home:

4 rooms, toilet (flushed) in backyard. House Always seemed warm. Had electricity in each room. No hot water. Bath was made of tin and kept in yard. I used to climb in through back bedroom window as the dog would not let me through the yard door. From my window I could see across to Kidds Terrace and the railway yard in Hallfield road. Our house was one of the few with a backdoor.

Redeness Street, from Explore York Libraries and Archives

Duke of York Street

Lisa @YorkStories — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:53:31 +0000

We don’t have much information so far in terms of personal memories of Duke of York Street.

Andi Brigham kindly sent us the street directory entries from the 1961 Kelly’s directory for this street:

Duke of York Street 1961 (Taken from Kelly’s Directory The City Of York 1961) (PDF)

The city archives include a couple of photos of the street. Click to enlarge.

Hallfield Road

Lisa @YorkStories — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:50:37 +0000

Photos from the city archives

Click to enlarge.

Layerthorpe (road)

Lisa @YorkStories — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:41:48 +0000

Explore York Libraries and Archives

Terry Morrison lived at 75 Layerthorpe (Marian’s fruit shop) from 1956-1969:

We lived behind the shop, there was a cellar , and above was a living room with a small scullery, above the shop was a front room with a bedroom at the back, up another floor were two more bedrooms. We had a small back yard with outside toilet. The views from my top back bedroom was the gas omiters i could see the old county hospital and osis scrap yard. In the winter our windows had ice on the insides I would get dressed for school in front of the fire down stairs which my mum would light first thing every day.

Photos from the city archives

Explore York Libraries and Archives

Downhill Street

Lisa @YorkStories — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:39:52 +0000

Photos from the city archives

Click to enlarge.