Southgate St: a product of the Middle Ages but with 19th, 20th and 21st Century development. This narrow medieval lane, gradually widening, emphasises the unsuitability of this area to anything larger than the horse and carriage. Current congestion caused by parked cars, a by-product of over development in The Friars, often means emergency vehicles struggle to negotiate the route. Cars parked on the road which obstruct emergency vehicles will be forcibly moved out of the way, we are told.
Ethel Terrace; an attractive short row of housing built
about 1900 along a service road to the Nar Staithes, which had existed since the
15th Century. Opposite this, is a large housing association development with
large car park in the back. Do not be tempted to park here unless you live here
or are visiting someone who does. Those making this mistake have experienced
some vandalism.
Friars St; a length of mixed housing of varying height and construction, built in two main periods; the north c.1840, the south early 1900's. Terminating at the junction of Gladstone Rd it follows the line of the Carmelite precinct walls. On one side is the boundary of the school offering a pleasant aspect for those living opposite, though the trees are obstructive and parts of the road surface are in need of attention. Elsdens Almshouses, a secluded site of small properties on one level for the elderly and frail, adjoin the recently redesigned children's playground. The playground is popular but suffers from the blight of vandalism alcohol abuse and inappropriate attention from children old enough to be doing something more useful. The playground is covered by CCTV. In the Summer of 2009 the Friars' Community Group pressured the council to dedicate a screen to the playground on a permanant basis, and in the autumn of 2009 the Friars' Community Group eventually succeeded in getting the police to increase patrols to the area.
Gladstone Rd; The first three houses are the oldest in the road having been built by 1830, and at the time they were rather advanced in design. Thirty years later in the 1860's houses were being built up to that standard and design as a matter of course. These were followed by further building in the 1900's. Before Whitefriar's school was built, these houses faced a large plot of allotments. The road widens at the river end, but at the dogleg end adjacent to Friars Street many a large van and lorry has come to grief. The curved wall at the dogleg end appears vulnerable to falling down and parking at this point is not recommended. Sadly, because the road width is very narrow until number 12 parking between numbers 1 and 11 can prove awkward for other road users. The road overlooks the school playing field for the most part, but at the Friars Walk end it is overlooked by large trees.
Whitefriar's Rd, Whitefriar's Terrace, and Carmelite Terrace all date from the 1870's
and are three parallel rows of terraced housing designed, along with Gladstone Rd,
to meet the burgeoning housing needs of a growing industrialised town of the Victorian
period. Whitefriar's Rd contains the terrace of larger houses, with both gardens
and bay windows. Whitefriar's Terrace and Carmelite Terrace properties are smaller.
Church Lane; is a small lane leading from South Lynn Plain to All Saints Church. Almost uniquely this is laid with granite setts dating from 1803-6. On one side is mid 18th century to early 19th century houses and on the other a large converted pub. Within this area is a modern sheltered housing complex.
All Saints Church; Dating from the 11th century, this is the earliest place of Christian worship in the town. It once had its own Anchorhold, though little is known about the incumbent of this post. It is one of four Anglican churches in the town, St Margarets being the main church in the town and the most dominant, St Nicholas is the church that ministered to the North End of the town and is now in the care of the Redundant Churches Trust, and St Johns is in the Walks having a unique tradition of their own.
Valinger's Rd; this was begun in the early 19th Century owned by Thomas Valinger. It consists of a mixture of large town houses and smaller two storey terraced properties. The south side of the road remained open fields until the 1830's. Parking is permitted on one side only. Dereliction blights this road sadly, and behind here is a very neglected and underused public car park. The Crossways Pub is one of two historic public houses in the Friars, (the London Porterhouse on London rd being the other) and is a popular retreat for many.
North and South Everard St, Checker St, and John St were built on open agricultural land and were the biggest planned housing development the town had ever seen at the time they were built. The development was completed by 1845, and consists mainly of large terraced housing set into narrow streets Inspired by housing from the Baltic States with which the town had long historic links, there were no provisions for workshops, shops, or other commercial interests. Patches of dereliction exist and parking, despite the width of the road, remains a problem.At the end of South Everard fronting onto London Rd is the Roman Catholic Church. Checker Street is one way only and the pub, the London Porterhouse, enjoys a prime position at the corner of London Road and is a popular venue for real ale drinkers.
Carmelite Arch; this is the only surviving evidence of the presence of Carmelite Friars in the town. This has listed status.
Greenland Fishery;
A stunning remnant of the town's Hanseatic history. It was built for the merchant John Atkin in 1605-8. Timber framed, (though far far superior to the modern trend of slapping housing up using wet pine posts, with cheap and nasty thermal filler set between them with a brick skin on one side, and plaster board on the other), with studwork raised on a brick ground floor jetted on two storeys with moulded bressumers, and with an upper frieze window extending the whole length. It sadly faces the 1960's architecture of Hillington Square, built when architectural talent was experiencing its lowest ebb in the minds of many.
Friars' Walk; this is a pleasant rural lane within the setting of the urban environment. It stretches from the South Gates Arch and runs alongside the river till it meets the end of Whitefriars Road. Before the council gave it this name, it saw significant industrial prosperity. CW Engineering had a workshop along here; boats were built along the riverbank, and small work sheds housed a variety of small businesses. If you stand at the end of Gladstone rd on Friars Walk and look across the river, there is the remnant of an inlet known as Blubber Creek, or Blubberhouse Creek. It was here that whaling boats would return from the Baltic to offload cargo and have it rendered into other forms useful for industry and the home.
Bridge Street: this faces Hillington Square, (See Greenland Fisheries), and is a very small stretch of houses of particularly attractive aspect.On the bend where it meets All Saints St is the Quaker Meeting House.
The Friars areaThe Friars' Community Group takes as their area of concern, an area that follows a distinct boundary. Starting at the Southgate arch, walking alongside the river Nar till it reaches the River Ouse. From there till it reaches the bottom of Millfleet. From the bottom of Millfleet up to London Road, and along London Road till it meets the Southgate arch. This is an area of about 800 households not including the households in Hillington Square. Hillington Square residents have very good resident representation via the mechanism provided by Freebridge Housing Association, and whilst we will willingly take up an issue on residents behalf, we would first refer them to the existingmechanism. Other residents in the Friars do not have any other representation with influence that is as accessible as the Friars' Community Group. We have been approached by residents outside this area for us to assist them, and we have done so and will continue to do so on the basis that the ordinary householder sometimes needs help, and if we can help we will.