55-59 High Street

Introduction

Numbers 55-57 High Street are located diagonally opposite the British Queen public house and originally comprised one property on the street plus a number of outbuildings.  In the 1920s, the main property was divided into two dwelling houses and a shop.  Number 55 High Street became known as ‘The Limes’ between 1950 and 1955 and is not to be confused with the house on the opposite side of the High Street which was called ‘The Limes’ at least until 1925 and is now known as Longmead!

It is thought that the barn at the rear of the property may have been used as an abattoir at one time.

The building is timber framed, rendered with a tiled roof.  It is grade II listed and dates from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth centuries, with nineteenth and twentieth century extensions.

Little is known about early owners of the property.  In 1820, at the time of enclosure, the property was owned by James Course.  In 1910 (see map in the gallery below) the property was owned by George Wallis of South Norwood.  It was occupied at that time by Mark Palmer and comprised of a “house, garden and buildings”.  There was an orchard to the rear.

Information from the Title Deeds

Title deeds for the property exist from 1927.  The information from the deeds which is given below, was kindly provided by Frances and Richard Phillips, current owners (2020) of 55 High Street.

7 April 1927

Probate of property in Meldreth, Melbourn and Harston owned by Mary Wallis.  Meldreth property – double fronted shop with outbuildings and private dwelling house.

20 September 1927

Bequest from Mary Wallis to Bernard Wallis.

29 October 1927

Conveyance, Bernard Wallis to Charles Liddiard.

8 June 1932

Assent Charles Liddiard to Mabel Margaret Liddiard: “all that messuage (messe and premes) and premises now divided into two dwelling houses, and a shop with barn and other outbuildings and garden”.

19 June 1950

The shop was leased by M M Liddiard to H Leverington, Provision Merchant.  The document was witnessed by R Wood ‘The Limes’, Police Constable.  PC Wood lived at no. 55.  This is the first time the name ‘The Limes’ appears in the title deeds.

21 February 1955

The lease of the shop was surrendered to M M Liddiard.

25 October 1955

Conveyance the Executors of M M Liddiard to F F E Vernon of a “double fronted shop, dwelling houses, coach house and other buildings now known as ‘The Limes'”.

14 March 1956

Conveyance of F F E Vernon to Peter John Marr of a “dwelling house known as ‘The Limes'”.  (This was for  no. 55.)

15 November 1956

Conveyance F F E Vernon to William Cuthbert Holliday of a “dwelling house and shop”.  (The dwelling house was no. 57).  Mr Holliday called no. 57 “Kilgarran”.

Information on Residents of the Property

The following information has been received from various sources.  Some of the dates overlap and therefore cannot be accurate.  We will update the page as more information becomes available.  If you have any information, please add a comment to this page.

From 1928 to 1948 Caroline Wright lived at The Limes (no. 55).

Mr and Mrs Jeffery lived in no. 55, from the 1940s.  Herbert Jeffery died in 1946 and following this, Eve Jeffery took in lodgers, one of whom was R Wood who witnessed a document in 1950 (see above).

From August 1971 to the present day (2013), no. 55 has been occupied by Frances and Richard Phillips.

The Shop

There was a shop in part of the premises for several decades.  There is an image in the gallery below that shows the general stores known as Liddiard’s (in what is now no. 59).  Liddiard’s occupied the premises from 1927 until 1950, when Mr Leverington took over the lease of the shop.  In 1954 a disastrous fire gutted the shop.

In 1955 the lease of the shop was surrendered to Mr Liddiard.  His executors sold the “double fronted shop, dwellling houses, coach house and other buildings” to F F E Vernon who then sold it to William Cuthbert (Bill) Holliday the following year.  The shop did not re-open until 1965, when Mr Holliday rented the shop to Mr Bicheno who also had a shop in Mortlock Street, Melbourn.  Mr Bicheno opened as a greengrocer’s shop.  Subsequently Mrs Tidman ran a hairdressers called Trendy.

In 1977 the shop was sold to Mr and Mrs Cheetham who also ran a hairdressers, Hair Design 2, until 1989.

The property has since been divided into flats but the wide pavement remains as a lasting memory of the shop.

In 1989 the shop was rebuilt and extended to form numbers 59, 59a and 59b High Street.

Please view the picture gallery below to see advertisements for some of the businesses that have occupied no. 59 and for other images of the property.

Comments about this page

  • 15 November 1956: Please note that Herbert Jeffery died in 1946, so after that his widow Eva would probably have taken in lodgers to help pay the bills.

    By John Fitzgerald (28/10/2013)
  • Thank you for your article about The Limes.  My great aunt Eva Jeffery and her husband Herbert, a deliverer of cakes, lived in the house in the 1940s and 1950s.  I have many photographs taken in the garden.  My great grandmother Caroline Wright spent her last years there also, and regularly bought herself a barrel of beer from the pub opposite.  I have heard that during their tenancy at The Limes, there was a fire.

    By Mark Ward (05/09/2012)

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