Beer and water are synonymous with a well-known Brigg street in the town centre.
The
southern section of Grammar School Road is an interesting mix of old
and new - prompting us to include it today in our series of posts about
the changing face of local streets.Survivors on Grammar School Road South include town houses, one of Brigg's historic cast iron water pumps (long disused) and Anglian Water's local depot.
However, the street has lost a row of quaint cottages that, decades ago, stood adjacent to the junction with Wrawby Street.
Grammar School Road South was created in the early 1990s when the A18 was re-routed; several properties had to be demolished so through traffic could be removed from the town centre ahead of pedestrianisation.
The new highway bisected Grammar School Road, and a row of metal bollards and a turning area for vehicles was added near the A18. Grammar School Road South therefore became a cul-de-sac for traffic, accessed only from Wrawby Street.
Brian's DIY has a side entrance to its extensive Wrawby Street premises and some off-street customer parking on Grammar School Road South, with Brigg Motability occupying the former Glacier Motors' car showroom (later used seasonaly by Brian's Christmas Shop).
When Wetherspoon's reopened the White Horse in 2015, following huge investment in refurbishment, it added a sizeable south-facing beer garden to the rear of the pub in which customers can enjoy meals as well as drinks...and sometimes bask in the sunshine.
The beer garden was established using land once occupied by outbuildings and a car park.
However, the 18th century building's Wrawby Street frontage and the side wall on Grammar School Road South were retained. The hostelry is within the town's Conservation Area.
Alongside the wall, and untouched by the company's refurbishment, stands the old water pump. Since the Victorian era it had provided safe-to-drink supplies for families living in old properties within the town centre which did not have piped supplies.
During the era of Brigg Urban District Council, this pump and another on the County Bridge were retained as links with the past.
In recent times, though not this year, colourful 'dressing of the pumps' ceremonies have seen flowers draped on the water-
providers, accompanied by music and on-street dancing.
The Brigg UDC nameplate, on the side wall of the White Horse, became the centre of attention, and some mirth, in the mid-20th century when the spelling GRAMMER SCHOOL ROAD appeared briefly before someone spotted the error and it was corrected with an 'a' replacing the 'e'.
Following the creation of Grammar School Road South, the original Grammar School Road name was retained by the remainder of one of Brigg's longest streets - stretching for more than a mile from the A18 junction as far as the last council-built post-war houses near the M180 flyover, adjoining the parish border with Wrawby. We intend to feature Grammar School Road in a future post.
