At the corner of New Road was the grand stone building that was originally built by and occupied by S & G Kingston auctioneers, land agents and surveyors and still holds the family name in its stonework and their established date of 1827. This grand statement of a building was built by the firm when they were at the centre of the town’s business activity, and whilst they benefitted the town greatly with endowments for sheltered housing and generosity, such grandiose buildings do pose a modern day difficulty. When this building was proposed in 1907 it was to tidy up a corner and was described as “one of the finest and most needed improvements in the town.” However, it was more of a statement than a practical office for modern use and following their vacating the property was occupied by a building society and then a charity shop. It is a challenge in many towns that the practical use of a property will change over time. In early 2024 we see a former department store having plans to turn it into a multi-functioning centre and a food bank by a Church group being declined on the grounds that the town is losing retail area – times have changed and the will to preserve buildings that had a different use in the past is a challenge of our time, for if they are not used, they decay. A view of the plans of Kingstons demonstrates the difficulty or re-purposing older buildings.
Adjacent to the grand stone frontage of S & G Kingston in New Road was the Black Bull pub for which no sentimentality was preserved as it was demolished in the early seventies and replaced with modern shop units that I recall being occupied by a Bourne Carpets, Janflora ( a florist) a China shop called Aladin’s Cave and Welec electrical and camera shop none of these businesses remain in 2024.
Around the corner in Red Lion Street were two tiny shops, one was a jeweller, Johnny Pulford in little more than a kiosk, with neighbouring him in a slightly larger shop was “Yor Shirt and Tie”. This was set up in 1972, a gents outfitters specialising in larger sizes that became an essential source of clothes for me into the 1990’s. It was owned by Roy Killingsworth, and he and his wife Mollie lived down the road from us in Spalding.
Roy Killingsworth was one of three brothers that were well-known characters in the town. Roy had the menswear shop and had been an unlicensed bookmaker prior to the 1961 Betting and Gaming Act. Roy’s brother Pete had a school of motoring and his other brother Ron was the town centre’s main shop window cleaner, albeit with a fear of heights meaning he only did lower windows. All three of them had great senses of humour and were known for practical jokes, full of life and generosity of spirit. For example, I have seen Ron Killingsworth flag down a passing Police car, only to clean its windscreen.
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