Following Your Nose around Hitchin

I consider myself a very lucky and privileged person to have been born in Hitchin and to have known it as the real market town it was intended to be. To me, as a small child and growing up in the town, it was a friendly, safe, almost a magical place full of adventures. As the years go by the character of Hitchin has gradually died. So many of the noises and smells of the true market town have gone. Tuesdays were so exciting with the cattle market in Paynes Park and the market in the Market Square. The pubs were open all day and the coaches came in from surrounding villages so that the village women could do their weekly shop.

We always knew what was going on in the town by the smells that wafted over the town or by the shops that we passed. The most unpleasant smell was from Ransom's Distillery when they were making cough medicine. I'm sure many people will remember other smells too: the lovely scent of lavender when the flowers were being harvested in then fields at to top of West Hill, the smell of leather from Russell's tanyard, wood from Barker's wood yard at the bottom of Hermitage Road, a meaty smell from the Bacon Factory in Nightingale Road, a soapy smell from the steam laundry in Queen Street, and so many more that were part of the character of the town.

Bob Early, who died in 1973, was the newspaper seller in the High Street and around the town centre. He was known as 'Blind Bob'. He found his way around the town by his senses of smell and hearing. He collected his papers from Mrs. Harding's in Tilehouse Street: when there was no sound of traffic he would cross the road and would smell the baking bread from Bliss's bakehouse. Along Bucklersbury he would smell ale from the pubs, new clothes from Hawkins and milk from Squire's Dairy. The smells from chemists' shops, fishmongers, butchers, greengrocers, grocers, shoe menders and other shops would have told Bob whereabouts he was in the town. If he were alive today he would be completely lost.

I miss 'Blind Bob' and all the shops which are gone from the town - Spurrs, Nicholls, Munts, Garratts, Chalkleys, Cloutings, Tomlins, Paternoster & Hales, Maison G‚rard - but mainly of course the cattle market with the noise and smell of the animals. 'Nothing is forever' is a well-known saying, and this is certainly true as far as the market town of Hitchin is concerned.

Next page

Back to Newsletter contents

Back to News and Issues