Presentation of Old Newmarket photos by Peter Norman, preceded by the AGM.

At long last gatherings were permitted again and the Society paid a return visit to Bottisham Airfield Museum. One of our visits in 2019 was to the museum, which was then a work in progress. The volunteers there have not been idle in the interval, and we enjoyed seeing the result of their labour on Tuesday 20th July. Some members had a conducted tour, others explored at their own pace. Attendance was better than was feared since we had suffered the enforced COVID break.

The Wetherby Crossing

Local residents are aware of the long-established pedestrian crossing of the railway line, connecting the Granby Street area on the north side to the Cricket Field Road/ New Cheveley Road area on the south side. The line also provides a boundary between the counties of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Sandra Easom has had a query from Town Councillor Peter Hulbert who is looking for evidence (including personal testimony), that the Wetherby crossing was always a public right of way. I know older Newmarket residents must have memories of using the crossing in their younger days.

Sandra has sent him a section of the 1896 OS Map which appears to show a dotted footpath coming from there. However, extra evidence to back this up would certainly help matters. If anyone has anything, please send it to me or Peter (in that case please copy Sandra in)

Tony Pringle is positive that every single day of any year at least several dozen folk would have used that route from Newton Terrace to town, and hundreds on some days. Living as his family did at the town gate side and his father running his business from the Maltings, they were in a better position than most to judge the use of the crossing. Even the days when there were 7 or 8 lines in constant use during working hours no one was ever hurt there.

On 3rd December 2020 the Newmarket Journal recorded that the Inspector at the first enquiry had ruled that the alternative route suggested by Network Rail “would add greatly to the travel time of users and that safety concerns through the New Cheveley Road underpass would put people off walking, especially for elderly and disabled residents”. June 2021, we thought, saw the end to this long running and expensive saga, with a victory for the natives. The saga has not yet ended, we await yet another decision based on yet another enquiry that was held. Until then the ultimate fate of the crossing remains unknown.

Newmarket Pubs website

Tony has moved the newmarketpubs website into this site. No extra cost to the Society, a saving for Tony. The newmarketpubs website will be allowed to lapse and will no longer be updated. All updates will now be here on this website. It covers every pub, club and hotel that has been discovered in the town since medieval times, many which few of you will ever heard of many closed since WW1 and several that should bring back memories for some of the members.

Was to have been an “Old Photographs of Newmarket” show from the vast collection of member Peter Norman, but was the first hit of the COVID19 cancellations.

The last meeting before the COVID19 lock down was a talk by Andy Peachey “From Pre-history to the Saxons”, about the excavations in the Deben Valley in East Suffolk where works were being undertaken to link offshore wind turbines with distribution sites in the area.

Peter Green, of the National Trust, East of England spoke of “Life on the Edge, the story of the Butcher family of 5 Lode Lane, Wicken.

The usual members Christmas gathering, buffet and quizzes by Peter Norman and Chris Easom.

Talk by Dr.Paul Saban on the History of the Medical Practices in Newmarket, as covered by his website www.talkingdust.net

Talk by member Brian Parsley on the 2019 archaeological dig at Scotsdales Nursery, Fordham.

Mike Petty gave a talk on the life of James Reynolds Withers, the Fordham poet.

The Society’s summer hibernation.