Those cottages are known as Miller's Row and are a distinctive row of eight. You will see an archway amongst the cottages which is significant to the history of our village
The arch, which carries a datestone above, showing RM 1823, lead to a draw-well once said to provide the best drinking water in Hethersett. Robert Miller, landlord of the Queen's Head, was the builder.
Miller's Row was one of the first developments on land which for centuries before its enclosure in 1800 had been part of Hethersett's Common, known as Lynch Green. Before taking its present name it was called Ranters Row. Primitive Methodism was established in 1810 and their preachers were called ranters. It could have been that sometime after the 1689 Toleration Act, dissenters gathered on this part of the green to worship. A clay lump building which stood in the grounds of The Elms, a few metres north of Miller's Row, was thought to have been used by early Methodists.
The two-up and two-down cottages originally built in two blocks of four have kept most of their early charm at the front. Neat red brick walls with pantiled roofs and small casement windows have a sawtooth cornice running the whole length.
The Miller family and their descendants owned and occupied cottages from when they were first built. They ran a family harness making business from the lean-to workshop at the end of the row. White's 1883 Directory shows James Leonard Miller, Harness Maker, and Kelly's in 1908 repeats James Leonard and shows his son with the same name practising the trade. William Robert was on the bill heading by 1910.
According to the 1910 valuation survey the Millers had with their property, pig sties, a stable, two sheds, a privy as well as a small garden. They kept hay in the room above the arch.
Edward Beeby, schoolmaster of the British School opposite, and secretary of the Hethersett branch of the Cooperative Society in1896, ran a small general shop from this room. Access was by wooden steps at the rear. A letter of Beeby, then retired, in 1920 to Thomas Anson Buckingham who had emigrated from Hethersett to New Zealand in 1882, states that "Dick Miller, the old harness maker is dead, also his son William, who took his father's business, only Harry left. Hickling still carries on his harness business on the turnpike."
Herbert William, son of Robert, was born in 1913, but did not follow in the family business as the use of horses was now in decline. He died in 1979. His widow Patricia, the last of the Millers of Miller's Row moved away from the village in 1999.
I thought I had a photograph of the cottages but cannot find them at the moment. Will post some as soon as possible. Most of the history above comes from research undertaken by Hethersett Society.
* * *
Now if you are confused by the latest Government advice on the coronavirus pandemic let me explain as I pride myself in being able to explain complex matters. It really is quite simple:
If I go out with my wife and she nominates her one person to meet I will have to leave because while she is talking to one person and I am talking to one person our friend would be talking to two which isn't allowed. If, however, she nominates her friend and I nominate her husband it still won't work because as an individual I will still be talking to two people which isn't allowed. In addition they wouldn't be able to talk to us as they would each be talking to two other people.
I think I need to put my road map away, detect what the mood music is and decide whether I'm halfway up the mountain or halfway down and whether I have a viable conditional plan. It's all very simple it just needs some blue sky thinking, some pondering outside the box and an avoidance of collateral damage. I have no idea why everyone is so confused. I'm just off for a game of golf with another member of my family. Unfortunately she doesn't play golf.