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Topic: JOHNSON and Sons Tailors and Clothiers 51, Sidney Street, Cambridge, any photos? (Read 555 times)
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Keith Sherwood
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Posts: 3063
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Hi, Everyone,
Have been recently following the fortunes of the JOHNSON family of Cambridge who ran a tailor and clothier business at 51, Sidney Street, Cambridge. According to the directories they were there at least from 1823 until the 1970's. Today there is an amusement acrade, "Quicksilver", at the premises.
However, I have never come across any photographs showing the JOHNSON's trading from there and was wondering whether anyone had ever come across one.
Even a picturesque snap with snow on the rooftops! - it's actually tumbling down here today in Cambridge on Easter Sunday.....
keith
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ricky1
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Hi Keith
have you tried the Francis Frith site  .I dont know where 51 was on Sidney Street, but there is a photo of a shop on the corner of Sidney Street on that site, a tailors and cutter's.
ricky
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Harby,Garton,Drury,Duncombe,Booth,Catton,Barker, Kirkby, Wilson. Lincolnshire, Also Murkin's, Jeffery,Pettitt,Carter, from Suffolk/Cambridgeshire boarder Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Keith Sherwood
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Hi again, Ricky,
I'll have a look on there, if I can find the site...
keith
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ricky1
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Hi Keith
http://www.francisfrith.com/
ricky
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Harby,Garton,Drury,Duncombe,Booth,Catton,Barker, Kirkby, Wilson. Lincolnshire, Also Murkin's, Jeffery,Pettitt,Carter, from Suffolk/Cambridgeshire boarder Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Keith Sherwood
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Ricky,
Just had a trawl through those pictures of Cambridge, many thanks for providing that link. Naturally enough a preponderance of photos of the Colleges, though there are three identical 1931 snaps taken of Sidney Street, but from the Holy Trinity end.
I've actually just now come across a photo in a book I hadn't realised I had on my shelves: "Cambridge Past and Present" John Durrant pub 2000 by Sutton. It's a view from the other direction, from the Green Street junction, and although you cannot see any detail further than the first 3 shopfronts or so, the caption does in fact mention (never noticed this before!) "...the shops included Johnson - tailors, Moore - tobacconists, Stockbridge - furniture, Freeman's - cakeshop (taken over by G.P.Hawkins), Galloway and Porter - books...and Otto Wehrle - watchmaker and jeweller..."
This is a 1907 photo, and I'm not entirely clear from the credits who took it. I think I'd better have a search in the Cambridgeshire Collection which seems to be housed for the time being in Ascham Rd branch library here in Cambridge.
keith
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ricky1
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Okay Keith
was worth a try anyway  . Do you know if the record office is open yet,as I heard they were having a refit
ricky
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Harby,Garton,Drury,Duncombe,Booth,Catton,Barker, Kirkby, Wilson. Lincolnshire, Also Murkin's, Jeffery,Pettitt,Carter, from Suffolk/Cambridgeshire boarder Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Keith Sherwood
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Ricky,
Yes, it reopened on schedule on 11th March, and is much improved...
keith
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ricky1
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Hi Keith
thats good as have to do a few lookups for OH family, shall have to ring and book some space 
ricky
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Harby,Garton,Drury,Duncombe,Booth,Catton,Barker, Kirkby, Wilson. Lincolnshire, Also Murkin's, Jeffery,Pettitt,Carter, from Suffolk/Cambridgeshire boarder Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Selina
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Hi Keith,
In the book 'Cambridge in Pictures 1888-1988' by Mike Petty, pages 24 and 25, yep naturally its across the join! There is a picture of Sidney Street which just about shows the shop but not identifyable as Johnsons, 1911, taken from St. Andrew's Street direction.
I do have a postcard taken from the Green Street direction which also shows the shop, so a photo (of a sort) does exist! Stockbridge shop is at the right edge of the pc, then Moore & Co., tobacconist and then Johnson & Sons. It is not possible to read the name really clearly but you can see that is what it is. I would guess the postcard to be circa 1920 give or take. I bought it some while ago, at a collector's fair I expect, I see I paid £7.50 so it is quite rare. May turn up on ebay sometime although I have not seen it again.
I don't have a scanner and I tried my digi camera but it did not reproduce it very well as it is sepia and quite small detail. Not really worth having but if you want me to email it to you I will. Not sure if it is OK to put it on here, copyright etc?
I remember the shop (not from the 1920's I might add, lol!).
Selina
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Keith Sherwood
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Selina,
You have obviously been really busy hunting down these (seemingly rare) photos of the JOHNSON's tailors for me. I'd be very interested if you could send me an image of that postcard to my e-mail address if that is possible - doesn't matter that it hasn't come out very clearly, would be just nice to see it - and I'll therefore PM you now.
Have decided to spend tomorrow morning now at the Ascham library where the Cambridgeshire Collection is temporarily housed, and hopefully they'll have a copy of that book by Mike Petty which I could photocopy.
Many thanks for all your help.
keith
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Keith Sherwood
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Just a postscript to say that Selina very kindly sent me an image of that postcard...
And also that when I went to look in the Cambridge Collection this morning I found a 1937 local newspaper report which showed the front of the shop in all its glory. Another important piece of information underneath the photo said that the business was started much earlier than I had imagined, in 1800, and could possibly be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, tailor's in Cambridge.
I'm sure people with knowledge of other clothing firms in Cambridge might come forward to dispute this!
But, anyway, thanks everyone who has helped on this thread,
keith
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ricky1
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Hi Keith
a good result then 
regards
ricky
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Harby,Garton,Drury,Duncombe,Booth,Catton,Barker, Kirkby, Wilson. Lincolnshire, Also Murkin's, Jeffery,Pettitt,Carter, from Suffolk/Cambridgeshire boarder Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Keith Sherwood
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Yes,
I also ordered two or three other items that were on their card index system - normally the staff would be able to slip behind the scenes and produce them in a few minutes, but with their resources shared out and spread between several branch libraries, I'll probably get them in about 3 days. Hopefully more views of the JOHNSON's shop in Sidney Street...
keith
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Keith Sherwood
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Hi, Annie!
Now that really IS an early picture of Sidney Street, taken just a little too near the Market Street end to be able to get a clear look at number 51...
Just by the by - you with your amazing knowledge and fingertip links to all things military - do you have anything on the Militia at around the time of the Napoleonic panic.
It's just that I'm looking closely at an individual called John JOHNSON, who might possibly be a direct ancestor of this family I'm researching. In the Fulbourn Chronicles today I discovered a marriage on August 7th 1773 of a John JOHNSON, of Chesterton, gent. to a Miss Hancock there. It also said he became a lieutenant in the Fulbourn Militia in 1800 (I've not noted it down exactly, it might have said Volunteers).
If you have anything on the Cambridgeshire Militia of this time, I'd be delighted to hear about it!
A bit of a diversion from the main theme of this thread (as in tailoring, get it?)...
keith
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