The Cock Public House
The Cock public house is on Long John Hill Road in Old Lakenham on the south east side of Lakenham. It is situated in a very pretty position on the riverfront (the Yare), next to the bridge.
The Norfolk Pubs web site has a page on the [Lakenham Cock].
So far there are no definite family connections for "The Cock" public house yet, but there is a lot of family around it, so we're working on it! The 1881 census places the Chettleburgh's nearby to The Cock and Villa public houses, but not actually in either. I had thought that this meant Martineau Lane, however looking at the census results again, I see that it wasn't between the two pubs, but on the far side of the Cock from the Villa. The census results for this folio start with William's house (after the Cock in the previous folio) and head off towards the Old Lakenham hall and Sandy lane. This pretty much places it on the road opposite the Cock and next to the Woollen Mills (although it could be up the road over the river bridge).
The "Pubs over the City Walls in 1883" (Derek McDonald) guide says: "There is of course the Lakenham Cock. The licensee in 1760 was Benjamin Blake who was listed as a carpenter, and in 1806 John Burgoyne". The plot thickens as we've heard of a Robert Burgoyne Chettleburgh, born ~1809, but we don't know where he fits into the family. The guide goes on to describe that in 1908 a spark from the mill across the road (possibly the one pictured below) set fire to the thatched roof and practically destroyed it.
I can't find the Cock in the 1841 census, and I can't find a "John Woolner" who that Norfolk Pub web site says is running the place from 1840-1846, however in about the location of the Cock in Lakenham Road in the 1841 census (next door to Elizabeth Chettleburgh) is "Edward Minns (60) Inn Keeper" along with "Mary Minns 55 - not born in England" and "Henry Minns 30 Clerk". The pub guide does say that Edward Minns was running the pub in 1836 - and a Robert Minns in 1845. So I don't know what is going on there. possibly the difference between owner and occupier.
The 1851 census lists William Bathum as being the Victualler at "The Cock Inn, Lakenham Road" with his wife Sarah and daughter Sarah. The people in the house the Chittleburghs were to occupy 30 years later (assuming the census order was the same, and assuming there were no new houses built!) were the Plowmans.
In the 1861 census William and Sarah Battrum still occupy the Cock, Martineau's Lane (with their three daughters, Emily 13, Sarah A. 11, and Elizabeth 8). William Chettleburgh is 7 entries away in Kensington Road...
In Kelly's Directory for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk & Suffolk, 1883 the Cock inn, Lakenham, Norwich is listed as being run by Joshua Goodswan. The same tome lists the "Villa Gardens, Robert Allen, jun. Lakenham, Norwich", whether this is refering to Robert Allen as being "junior" or as the "junction" in Lakenham, I don't know. The Cock's current postcode is NR1 2LY.
In 1871 William Chettleburgh's mother Sarah Simmons is living right next door to The Cock.
The 1881 census also lists the Goodswans as being the occupants, along with his widowed mother-in-law Sarah Battram who could easily be the Sarah Bathum listed in 1851 (note: must check the ages).
Here are some photographs from July 2001:
The above picture us The Cock Inn, Old Lakenham (July 2001) looking towards the bridge.
The above picture us The Cock Inn, Old Lakenham (July 2001), Martineau lane can be seen as the right hand turn after the pub sign.
Above is a picture of the house opposite the Cock (with the mill in the background).
The "Villa Gardens" public house now longer exists. It is now a camp site, and there are no cottages anymore between The Cock and the railway line. The current manager of the camp site said that between the wars there had been a great flood which had washed many of the bridges in the valley away. This may have destroyed many of the houses (or made them unfit to live in). Also he said that the thatched cottage to the Cock side of the camp site was destroyed by a German bomb in the Second World War. Behind the camp site was a large swimming pool which was destroyed recently to expand the camp site. This was built in about 1908, but originally this swimming area was part of the river, so it may have been around long before that and may have been part of the Gardens.
Between the Cock Inn and the Villa Gardens the map for 188? appears to show a largish house (presumably the one which was bombed) and several smaller buildings (on the Villa side) labelled The Square. Further up from the Villa, before the railway bridge appears to be some more buildings.
On the other side of the bridge and on the far side of the road are the old mill houses. The old map has them labelled as "Old Lakenham Mill (Woollen)".
