Page 25 - Thrapston Life October 2024

GLANCE AT
THE PAST
Eric Franklin looks back
Not having visited Denford in this series for quite a long while, this month I am looking
at some pictures from over 100 years ago and sharing some items from Northamptonshire newspapers, one dating back nearly 250 years.
In 1778 James Bliss of Denford advertised his wares for sale direct from his brick-kilns in Denford. These included stock bricks, quarry tiles measuring 6, 9 and 12 inches, coping, window bricks that will “rub and gauge” to
any size, as well as ridge tiles and gutters. He promised expeditious execution of orders with proper allowance for ready money. The clay used came from the river valley and there seem to have been several similar kilns in Denford. James was born in Denford in circa 1750, married Keziah Groom (born in 1754) in 1777 and was buried in the churchyard in 1825.
The riverside postcard above is dated to about 1907 and was produced by Frederick Knighton from Woodford. In the distance,
on the left just beyond the pedestrians is the start of the lane leading to the brick kilns. The postcard showing Edwardian boaters on the river was produced at a similar time. Produced by Valentine’s from Dundee, the photo would have been taken by a local photographer and the rights sold to the company, who continued trading up to the 1970’s. In the summer of 1908, the Wellingborough News reported that during the August Bank Holiday week, boat proprietors
25