Stephen Nunn traces the history of 121 Maldon High Street

Based on fragmentary surviving architectural evidence, that former hall house would have been constructed some time during the late-15th Century as part of a mediaeval housing development, on land situated between Butt Lane and open pasture, with Burgess Mead to the rear and Jacob’s Cross at the front.

All these centuries on, the house has since been divided into three commercial premises – numbers 117 to 121.

Nowadays number 117 is Amy’s Nails, but it was originally the single-bay service end of the hall, containing two rooms - the buttery (used to store drink) and the pantry (for food).

The larger, double-bay central structure, now number 119, Woof & Co, was once the main hall with an open hearth in the middle, its smoke rising to a vent in the roof.

So what about 121 – what was that used for? Based on the standard layout of these hall houses, that part would have been the parlour, a private living space with an upper floor known as a solar.

The vast majority of the hall houses that have survived have changed significantly over the centuries – extended to follow the fashion of the time, hidden behind different façades and smudged by internal alterations.

121 High Street in a sketch by the late Charles G Tait (by permission C Yuill) (Image: by permission C Yuill)

There is evidence of these changes at numbers 117, 119 and 121, including a17th Century outhouse at the back and a later frontage. Further alterations were made in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, until we end up with the three separate shops of today.

We know that some of that separation had taken place as early as 1790, as a Jewish businessman, called Joel Myers (1759-1836), had his home and his shoemakers business in numbers 117 and 119 from that date up until his death.

That shoemaking link continued right into the 19th Century with the first definite mention of number 121 as a stand-alone shop.

John Stratford (1847-1931), boot and shoemaker, worked out of 121 from at least 1874 until 1910.

He appears there in the 1881 census - a 33-year-old “shoemaker employing one hand (worker)”, living and working out of 121 along with wife Elizabeth (aged 35), sons Herbert (seven) and Frederick (four), and daughters Louisa (six) and Ada (two).

John and Elizabeth Stratford are still there in 1891, but their children are listed as Herbert (17), Ernest (nine), William (seven), Edwin (five), Ada (12) and Bertha (three).

Likewise, parents and five of the children (Herbert, Ernest, William, Edwin and Bertha) appear in the 1901 return, albeit John’s occupation is now given as a "leathercutter".

By 1911, “boot repairer” John Elizabeth, Herbert, Edwin and Bertha had moved to 77 Tenterfield Road. However, son Ernest continued at 121 High Street, a “boot repairer” in his own right, living there along with wife Ethel, and their three-year-old son, Frederick.

Ernest Stratford died on January 9, 1938, leaving effects totalling £1,927 10s 1d to his widow. Even at that stage, his address was still given as 121 High Street, evidencing over 60 years of occupation by the Stratfords.

After all those years as a shoe repairers, a new lease of life and a change of use at 121 came about in the form of a succession of opticians.

Initially this was LW Loveday, with the flat upstairs occupied by an ML Jackman. The opticians then became WG Ballentyne and this only closed relatively recently.

However, nothing stands still in our High Street and the stalwart little shop has new tenants and is the home to a very different business.

Annie's in Maldon High Street - the latest business at 121 (Image: Stephen Nunn)

‘Annie's’ is the place to go to for celebration cakes, outside catering buffets, freshly-made sandwiches, hot sausage rolls and pastries, cakes and much more besides. All of that delicious food is made fresh on the premises, using the best quality local ingredients.

How lucky we are to have individualistic traders like this in Maldon and how fortunate that the High Street’s historic buildings continue to be used in their time-honoured commercial way.

Shoes to glasses to cakes, a succession of shopkeepers, thousands of customers from generations of locals and visitors alike – number 121 has been the focus of it all.