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Front Street
(now known as North St.) |
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Front street cottages before the fire of 1905
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 In Front-street the fire did still greater damage, nine cottages being gutted and 28 people made homeless. The property destroyed here belonged four to Mr. Lack, Wolverton, two to Miss Varney, one to Mr. Tooth, Stantonbury, and one to Mr. Whiting. The families so suddenly rendered homeless are: Mr. J. Smith, labourer, his wife & five children; Mrs. Brown, widow; Mr. John Evans, painter, wife and four children; Mr. F. Wills, labourer, wife and child; Mr. Jack Clarke, labourer; Mr. W. Gray, wife and child; Mrs. Vials, widow; and Mr. W. Worker, platelayer, wife and four children. It will thus be seen that the total number of homeless victims is 36, nearly all of whom are left with nothing with which to commence a new home. Those who did save any of their furniture, and they were but few, found shelter in the empty cottages in the village, others were accommodated by neighbours whose homes escaped the fire, and the remainder were provided with accommodation for the night in the railway station waiting room. |
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| The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is conjectured that a spark from a passing railway engine was carried on to the roof of Mr. Masterman’s stabling. The damage is estimated at between £1000 and £2000, and a sad feature of the whole affair is that none of the burnt-out families were insured against fire. |
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 Picture by kind permission of The Living Archive, Wolverton |
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