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Going up the Old High Street, on the left hand side
there was an open space between the White Hart
and the Bull public houses, then the so-called “doctors shop”, where
lived the only medical man in Grays, Dr Ford; a drapers, another
butchers, The Rising Sun public house (host Mr Crib), and a
chemist’s shop. On the other side, opposite the White Hart was an
alley, flanked by houses in which bargemen lived. The premises now
occupied by Mr Miller’s off-licence were then a grocer’s shop and
post office, owned by a man named Flowers.
A little farther up was the police ‘lock up’, a cage-like affair,
which gave passers-by a full view of prisoners.
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A few more shops and cottages brought one to the town
barn and other farm buildings, which stood near the entrance to what
is now New Road. From there to the “Green Man” (predecessor of the
Queens Hotel) with its adjacent pond, the road was a mere country
lane, flanked by one or two houses in which the Messrs Goldsmith and
other influential people lived. Opposite the “Green Man” was another
barn in which cows were kept. Mr Bannister’s grandfather also kept
cows in a field near the Rookery Little Thurrock and as a boy it was
often young William’s duty to go across the fields and bring them
into Grays.
Though Grays was so undeveloped, compared with its present state, it
was, nevertheless, a comparatively busy little town, particularly on
the waterfront. Steamers and other craft called at the wharfs to
load or discharge merchandise and there was a daily passenger
service to London. In addition to the big barge-owners such as
Goldsmiths, Lanfields and Meesons (predecessors of the Grays Chalk
Quarries Company), many other local residents, including farmers has
barges which they used for business and pleasure. Most of these
people lived in houses in the Old High Street. Near the Town Wharf
was a ‘free dock’ belonging to the parish, which could be used
without payment.
West of
the High Street the river wall was not fenced and there was no Globe
Terrace. A path ran along the top of the wall and people were able
to go down on the saltings where cricket was often played. That was
before the time of Brooks Cement Factory and even of the Pottery and
Rag Factory, which previously occupied the site.
William
Bannister first saw the light of day in a room at the top of the Old
Dutch House in The Old High Street but does not remember how long he
lived there. It was probably not long. He knows that his parents
moved into another house nearby, opposite the White Hart Inn. At
that time, grandparents kept a shop where they sold milk, but later
on they took over the management of the Green Man, and after that
they managed the Bull.
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