Winteringham Local History and Genealogy at winteringham.info
Modern photos of Winteringham that have inspired memories of the village in years gone by - 2 - Ferry Lane
Ferry Lane
Flyer Robinson:
The two photographs looking north towards the River Humber show how the same area looks with roughly 100 years between the dates they were taken. The black and white picture shows what may be described as a
sleepy lane with farm buildings lining the sides until nearly at the bottom were stood three cottages and a house in 1905. On the right where the young lad is stood are buildings to Leaberry`s farm with two gates
into the farm yard. Looking beyond them to the next building is the house of the next farm that was the home of farmer Alfred Simons and the buildings of the farm. In the centre of the picture can be seen horses
that back around the time of the picture were used on most farms to pull ploughs and trailers etc. just like we use tractors or a multitask vehicle of today. The left side shows the buildings of the Manor Farm
With an entrance into the farm and to the field called the `Croft` just behind the two men standing watching the horses. In the foreground is the barn with the bottom of the door at the height of the floor of the
trailers used and shows the floor height inside the barn. The lane looked much the same during the 1950s – 1960s when I lived in the village. When Manor Farm was sold and the use of the buildings changed the large
barn in the foreground had the door bricked up and a large window installed and this was then fitted out to become the abattoir that I have spoken of in my memories as a young lad in the building trade.
The
second of the two photographs, this one being in colour, shows Ferry Lane as it is today in 2007. Perhaps not the sleepy lane of yesteryear as the buildings of the old Manor Farm and the abattoir have all been
demolished with the exception of the first two on the left of the photograph. The Barn that later in its life became the abattoir would have stood roughly where the first houses now stand. The stone wall from what I
knew as the entrance of the farm and to the field called `The Croft ` where as a lad conkers were collected from one of the three trees that stood in it when they were ready each year is still intact to its northern
end. I remember as a lad that some form of trees were growing behind this wall - maybe it was an orchard - but I am not sure what type they were except one and that was in the bottom north east corner which was a
pear tree. Each year after a quick scramble up the wall pears were stuffed into our pockets before climbing down once again and disappearing up or down the lane to safety before sharing our spoils.
Looking to
the right hand side of the photograph buildings and the farmhouse of Simons Farm are still present. The roof of a new building can be seen between Simons Farm House and the end of the barn that formed part of
Leaberrys farm. At the top of Ferry Lane is part of the Farm house painted a cream colour to its left in the shade is the building and wall where the young lad of 1905 would have been standing.
Simon's Farm
Flyer says: This picture of Simon's Farm House in Ferry Lane shows that it may have been the victim of a much hated tax introduced in the reign if William
III in 1696 that lasted to 1851. The Tax which was as welcome as the Poll Tax that was introduced in 1990 when every one of the age of 18 years had to the tax and not just the house holder as it was under the
General Rates. The Window tax was introduced because William III was short of money and as a house could have as many windows in it as was required, William or his advisers came up with the idea to place a tax
on all windows over the set number of 6, this lead to people by-passing the tax by removing and bricking up windows that meant they either paid no tax or cut down the amount payable. This may be why the centre
window is bricked up on the front of the house.
Dwellings
Flyer says: The North end of Ferry Lane was where four dwellings were situated when I was a lad growing up. The last house at the bottom standing at right
angles to the lane was the home of the Cook family.
Moving up towards the farms, next was the home of Granddad and Grandma Duck as we used to call them. Their house has a plaque with the names `Briar Garth' above the door. Mr and Mrs Duck were the owners of the fish and chip shop on Silver Street.
There were two other cottages just up from the two previously stated and these belonged to Mr Tuplin and was on the same side as the other two. Roughly opposite was the home of Mr Birkill the father of Tom who
lived on Silver Street in the house that is now better known as Winteringham Fields. Sadly these two homes have been replaced by modern housing.
Flyer says:
This is the very end of Ferry Lane the only way beyond this point is by foot. If I state that the style is a new part of the path there may be people that have only known it this way and think "What's he
talking about?" To explain my statement I will have to go back to the 1950s and 1960s when I lived at the other end of the path on Low Burgage in the Stationmaster's House. When the NLLR came to the village and
built the Railway Station this path ran through it. The path followed the line of the wall till it got to where the wall turned eastward then they parted with the path splitting and one part heading to Marsh Lane
the other continued through the Station grounds. I assume that the Railway company not wanting unauthorised persons wandering around their property diverted the path to run along the wall and placed a kissing gate
just round the corner to allow people to walk the new path which was maintained by them as it was part of their property. The start of the path at the end of the lane near to the house of the Cook family was
open and had no style, The field that can be seen at the side of the path was not fenced in my days in the village and I remember large swede's growing in it. The buildings of the Station Farm were not blocking
the view towards the river and over the wall were apple trees and not the houses of Orchard Drive.
