SKEALS
Spurn Kilnsea and Easington Area Local Studies
The Changing Face of Easington
The Changing Face of Easington - North Church SideThe photos below cover a time span of around 126 years, showing how the look of North Church Side in Easington developed and changed over the years.
North Church Side pre-1907.
This photo shows the road with both pubs looking towards the village Square.
North Church Side without the phone box, this was put in place in 1936.
With the phone box, after refurbishment in 2020.
A traffic free North Church Side.
A view from Blacksmith’s Corner.
Compiled by Mike Welton. The Changing Face of Easington - Village Square
Many villages throughout the country have a central square or Market Place that has been used throughout time for many village events; from fairs to market trading, community street parties and lots more. Easington is one of those villages that has an area always known as the Village Square. Looking back at the old Enclosure map of 1771, you can see that this was the central hub of the village and the oldest part, with the few houses clustered around the very heart of the village. The church of All Saint’s is of course shown quite prominently.
Maybe five houses down South Church Side and a further possible four houses on the north side of the Square. With Overton Hall also shown to the east.
Moving on to the map of 1890, as can be seen there are more houses shown, around nine on South Church Side, The White Horse pub that opened in c.1857, with other dwellings shown in the same block, several houses on the North Church side.
Another view of the Square, with two of the shops in the background on the left. (c1899)
A later view of the Square with children around the village pump well.
An old cottage built from cobble stones and mud with a thatched roof,
where the village garden is situated now.
A view from the top of the church, with the cottage now gone, this is probable around 1900.
A view of the Square with no sign of a village hall (early 1900s).
Constructing the first village hall, built around 1919/20.
The Square, with the village hall completed, the village pump well
still visible, and some ex-army huts from Spurn now in place on the land,
now the village garden.
One of the village shops, owned by John Quinton, with the army hut alongside,
this hut contained an old petrol/paraffin stationary engine used for driving a saw,
also used for general storage.
Photo of the old engine, the hut in the background also from Spurn,
this was used by the British Legion for a meeting room.
An aerial view of the Square and surrounding buildings, taken around 1970.
Showing a number of farm outbuildings behind the White Horse pub,
and the two army huts mentioned previously.
After the huts had been demolished it became known as the village garden. This was used for the placing of the village Christmas tree.
The ‘Tardis’ is now situated on this piece of land!
There was a stone plaque inserted in the wall that read Ancient Lights, it can just be seen in the photo.
Within that same block of dwellings there used to be two village shops, one of them originally owned and run by John Quinton.
A long standing story regarding the shop whilst being run by Mr & Mrs Quinton, was that one day the local schoolmaster Mr Cyril Skelton went in to buy a spade for digging his garden, now Mrs Quinton was very deaf and when he asked for the spade she handed him a bag of nails! He tried to demonstrate just what he wanted by pretending to dig with an imaginary spade, pointing down to his requirement, she came back with a pair of bootlaces!
I think with that, he gave up!
They also sold gunpowder for cleaning the soot out chimneys.
Later the shop was run by Bob and Annie Coverdale. It sold most things and also butchery was part of their service and a paper shop. It closed in 1982.
The house on the right of the shop was later used by the Midland Bank, they ran a weekly bank service on a Thursdays for about two hours, always known as ‘Bank House’.
The next building along was a shop run by Louis Curtis, then taken over by the family of Alan Paulson, it was a general shop with fruit and vegetables, in the early days Louis Curtis also ran a battery recharging service the old accumulator type of battery used with radios.
The shop at the time run by the Paulson family.
The village Square has been used for many events in its long history, a photo of some of the villagers in 1937 celebrating the coronation of King George VI.
Many a journey has started and ended in the Square, particularly with the bus company Connor & Graham, founded in 1921, it not only ran a daily bus service for commuters, a school bus service, but also many excursions and trips out to various locations, Hull Fair, holiday trips and shopping trips.
A visit to the Square from the ice cream vans.
A pram race around 1970, it ran from Easington to Kilnsea and back,
with the compulsory visit to each pub on the way!
The Easington Gala that paraded through the Square.
The village seat in the Square, this has been the focus of attention for many years for many different occasions.
A meeting place where much gossip was discussed over the years!
Apart from sitting on it usually waiting for a bus, it has been used for a goal post; this was in the days when you could actually play football in the Square, with today’s cars it is used for a car park, a rendezvous for courting couples.
Embedded in the wall of the churchyard is a stone tablet that appears to say ‘Site of the Parish stocks’.
When this was actually put in, is not known. A more recent addition put in to the wall,
is a plaque and a bell giving basic history about the church of All Saint’s.
In 1999 there was a re-enactment of the 600th anniversary of the landing of Henry Bolingbroke - Duke of Lancaster, at Ravenspurn in July 1399, local children and a local fishing boat landed at Easington and then proceeded to All Saint’s Church were a service, part of the service was said in Latin as it would have been in the day, this was carried out by the Rector, Rev. Granville Heale. See the picture below as Rev. Heale waits in the Square to receive the visitor.
Henry Bolingbroke returned to England from exile in France to lay claim to the throne, within 3 weeks of his arrival back in England he was crowned and became King Henry IV, he reigned from 1399 to 1413.
King Henry IV
The Square has also been used for other events, street parties, the Queens Silver Jubilee party, the opening of the new Community Hall, Bogey races, pram pushes to name but a few. It is, and always has been a very focal and well used part of Easington.
Village Party
A pram race
To conclude this tale of the Square, a certain Easington resident, Ken Webster, who was renowned as a great character and a bit of an artist, with great imagination painted this scene of Easington Square.
It depicts a game called the ‘Kissing Ring’ a Victorian game were someone in the middle of the circle picks another person and they dance or kiss and then someone else is picked.
As can be seen there is someone on a Penny-farthing bike, someone being pushed in a hand cart and a Scotsman playing a cello or double bass (I have no idea where they came from, it was all from Ken’s great imagination!)
Compiled by Mike Welton