2006 PROJECT SELECTION
36 Newton Street, Ulverston, Cumbria: House History
A house history was carried out for this property, part of a row of terraced houses east of the centre of Ulverston in Cumbria. Newton Street was constructed in the late 19th century, part of a large expansion in the town that was taking place at this time. There was originally a row of cottages called Greggs Cottages to the south of Newton Street, but these were swept away during the development of the A590 in the 1960s. Number 36 Newton Street was built in around 1904 as part of a block of six two-storey houses filling an irregularly shaped space at the east end of Newton Street. The whole terrace was built by James Grice, a former stone mason and beerhouse keeper turned property developer who was responsible for a number of similar blocks of housing around the town on streets including Hartley Street, Oxford Street, Alexander Road and Lightburn Avenue. The available information about his life demonstrates his success as he was described as a gentleman by 1910.
The house itself was small and narrow with only a parlour and kitchen on the ground floor, plus a rear extension containing the scullery and toilet, and three bedrooms on the first floor. It was, however, equipped with all the modern essentials of the day including running water and possibly gas, and, in addition, decorative Art Nouveau style tiles and wallpaper were used to decorate some parts of the house. The scullery still had a copper boiler, however, and the toilet was effectively outside the main house. It is likely that during the mid 20th century a second floor was added to the rear extension to provide a bathroom, a typical improvement to buildings of this type.
Throughout its history it tended to be occupied by married couples, occasionally with children. The earliest recorded occupiers were Robert and Mary Jackson, who lived with their three daughters and a lodger. Robert was a journeyman plasterer. One of the later residents, Francis Whiteway, worked at the nearby gasworks.
The house represents a quite typical example of accommodation built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century intended to house the growing working class in the town. However, despite its humble status it still made use of the most modern developments and decorative styles, and was a vast improvement on the majority of the cramped and unsanitary terraces that had preceded it.
