Like me, many Brandon residents live along this road or in the numerous bungalow developments of the 1970s spread out on each side of the road as you travel outwards from the town. A walk into the Town centre is a manageable and healthy habit, but we are fortunate to have regular bus services 80, 86 and now the ‘Town Circular’ as an alternative. For those folks living in other parts of Brandon, there is little reason to venture on foot along Thetford Road unless attending or visiting the Glade Academy school or to shop at the ‘Brandon Local’ convenience store. There used to be other shops & businesses and at least 4 public houses. Sadly, all are now gone.
This photo comes from a postcard of the day, and appears to be taken about 100 years ago. The car parked outside ‘F.J. Mount Lime & Whiting Works’ is from the 1920s, most likely an Austin or Morris. The Gas Lamppost on the left of the photo is missing its glass lampshade as gas lighting has been replaced with electricity. On the left side of the road, houses do not continue to the bend in the distance. This space was developed for Council Housing in 1927 when 12 sets of semi-detached houses were added on this side of the road. Looking at the houses on the right side, there is one that projects outwards containing bay windows. This is a house called ‘The Laurels’ and it has a date of ‘1900’ stamped on the outside when viewed today. There are two large wooden posts in the photo that hold pub signs. The one on the right of the photo says “The Coach and Horses”. In the distance, at the bend in the road, you can just make out the pub sign representing “The Fox and Hounds”.
This grainy view is looking back towards the town, showing “The Laurels” house with the bay windows and further along the pub sign for “The Coach and Horses“
This photo is of Eric Mount in front of his Grandfather’s Lime & Whiting Works in the 1920s
This business was started in 1868 and ran until the 1960s at this premises in Thetford Road. Several generations of the family were involved in running the business. The Company relocated and continues today. To see more about this you can go to https://www.mountliming.co.uk/about-us/history/
Moving down the road towards Thetford we can understand how things changed in 1927 when 12 sets of semi-detached council houses were developed on the left hand side of the road.
On the bend in the road by Mill Road, we have a large new building which operated for some years as a modern pub “The Forest”
On the pathway at the bend of the road, there is a strange, tall cast iron pipe. This is not an old lamp post, but a ‘Stench Pipe’ used to stop a build up of gases in the underground sewer system.
Passing Lingheath Road the road stretches out towards the Santon Downham junction. On the right hand side of the road at the junction there was a residence called “The Chalet”.
Focusing on Thetford Road as it joins the Market Place, we can see that there has been a marked change in the road configuration to accommodate vehicle traffic. Hyams bakery was pulled down to make room for this change.
There were several public houses in this vicinity, but on Thetford Road itself and its merging with George Street there were two other pubs that warrant a mention. One was “DUKE OF WELLINGTON” and the other “THE GEORGE” (previously known as WHITE LION) – situated close together on the junction with the one-way system.
Here is a photo from around 1905 that shows us what Thetford Road looked like when viewed at the Knapper’s Way junction for access to the Glade School.
Posted by Steve Dingley