Newmarket Town

Cinema in Newmarket

The Rise and Fall of the Cinema in Newmarket We are indebted to Roger Newman and Peter Norman who were very helpful in providing suitable pictures from their large collections dealing with the town’s history. Kingsway Cinema The picture below shows The Kingsway Cinema staff on their outing in 1929 and recalls the old 1907 …

Devil’s Dyke

Devil’s Ditch or Dyke An Ancient Monument and SSI (Site of Scientific Interest) ‘The Ditch’ (as it is known locally) is the 7-mile-long embankment, thrown up in Anglo-Saxon times and is believed to be around 1450 years old. It is scheduled as a S.S.I. (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Reach historian Dr. C W R …

Grosvenor Yard

Memories of a small Newmarket community from John Banks, whose family members were part of its life. The Grosvenor Yard, Newmarket, situated behind the Doric Cinema and The Grosvenor Arms public house, is now a car park, however for about one hundred and thirty years, from 1816 to 1949, it was a vibrant, close-knit neighbourhood …

Kings Theatre

This article is a work in progress, perhaps you can help with information and / or photos, if so, please contact webmaster@newmarkethistory.org.uk  Most of the photos here are from the Peter Norman collection or from NOMADS.   Originally a St.Mary’s Board School was built in 1850, “near the Church”, the Master being John Clarke Rowlatt, …

Local Fire Tragedies

The Burwell Fire 1727 The tombstones in Burwell churchyard – erected as memorials to the tragic loss of life in 1727. On September 8, 1727, 51 children, and 27 adults, were killed in a horrific fire in a barn at Burwell, where they had crammed in to watch a travelling puppet show. Astonishingly, the door …

Local Schools

Local Towns and Villages

Newmarket Local History Society – A copyright extract from Volume II of the Newmarket Local History Society’s two-volume publication, ‘The History of Newmarket and its Surrounding Area’, edited by Sandra Easom and published in 2000 Early life in Towns and Villages Around Newmarket. Click on the place name at the start of each section to go …

Old Icewell Hill

In the nineteen sixties major changes to Newmarket began when the old Icewell Hill complex of streets and houses was demolished, making way for the present blocks of flats. Today many people remember with affection the jumbled warren of streets, houses pubs and shops that made up Icewell Hill, and the community spirit that was …

Railway

The Railway comes to Newmarket Rail transport in Britain had its crude beginnings in 1825 when the first rail line was laid by the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company. By 1829 George Stephenson had designed his much improved ‘Rocket’ engine that proved it could haul wagons carrying heavy loads of coal or passengers over the …

Rous Court

Rous Memorial Hospital – now Rous Court All above from the collection of Peter Norman. To learn more about the Memorial Hospital you can do no better than consult Dr Paul Saban’s website www.talkingdust.net. Rous Court – update 2012 A New Life as Racing Welfare apartments. February 2012. Rous Court has a new look and …

Shops

This section looks at the shops in the Town of Newmarket. Please select from the menu above or to the right, or the list below.

Telephone Exchange

The History of the Telephone Exchange in Newmarket The Telephone comes to Newmarket – a brief history – Former NLHS committee member Dave Occomore has provided these notes about the arrival of the telephone service in Newmarket: The telegraph arrived in Newmarket surprisingly from Norwich, not as I would have expected from London. It was …

Workhouse / Institution

The History of the Workhouse and Institution The Background to the Poor Laws There is an old saying “The Poor are always with us”, and always in the history of this country that has been true. Every city, town and village have always had people less fortunate than others. It was the result of many …