Turning back the pages of history

SOME things never change, despite the long passage of time.

Century-old minutes from Southwell’s Tradesmens’ Association show that many issues being discussed today in the town were equally relevant 100 years ago.

The chairman of Southwell Traders’ Association, Mr Robert Beckett, contacted the Advertiser after reading a report of a meeting in the paper’s 100 years ago section.

Mr Beckett was given the association minutes for safe-keeping.

He said many of the issues members were discussing in 1909 were the same as their modern-day counterparts.

“I like to have a look through the books when I have a moment and it is funny to see how things seem to repeat themselves,” he said.

Lighting, a new telephone and the weekly half-day holiday were among the items being discussed 100 years ago.

The minutes are hand-written in black pen.

Members of the association 100 years ago included some of the town’s most prominent businessmen whose names have been used as road names around the town.

They include Mr Charles Caudwell, owner of Caudwell’s Mill, Mr J. J. Bates who owned a grocers on King Street, Mr A. Merryfield the town’s postmaster, Mr J. H. Kirkby who owned a shop on Church Street that is now the women’s clothes shop Catherine’s, Mr W. Leek who owned a grocers on Queen Street, Mr W. Vickers, the town’s coal merchant, and Mr F. Tinley who Mr Beckett believes was a plumber.

Issues they discussed included the installation of a public telephone at Southwell Station, the downgrading of the post office at Southwell to a subsidiary of Newark and the provision of a street light in the town on the corner of the Market Place.

The minutes said: “Mr Bates proposed and Mr Kirkby seconded that the lamp in the Market Place sometime since removed by accident be now re-erected as it is of great danger to the public at this particular corner.”

Also considered at the meeting was moving the traders’ half-day holiday from Thursday to Wednesday. The matter was adjourned.

Mr Robert Beckett, the owner of A. J. Beckett Television and Video, said: “The matter of the half-day holiday and when it should be was something that caused a lot of contention in the town for many years.”

Mr Beckett said he thought it was because of the care that people took over Southwell 100 years ago that the town had managed to retain its parochial feel.

He said: “They dealt with everything including the temperature of heating on trains to make it comfortable for passengers going from Southwell to Newark and collecting food to give to the needy of the town.

“They were very much hands-on.”