Well Yard and Townsend Close
The name Well Yard as an address occurs often in census returns for Barkway, and also as late as the 1960s electoral registers. It now no longer exists.
In 1911 Townsend House was put up for sale by auction after the death of the then owner Arthur Low. The sale was administered by estate agents Nash, Son, and Rowley of Royston. It was described as a creeper-clad country residence having picturesque pleasure grounds, a paddock, and a total of 3 acres of land. The sale also included 7 cottages as part of the lot. Townsend House had been built around 1830 of Arlesey white brick.
Of the 7 cottages, one cottage was empty, and the remaining 6 had the tenants listed by name as: Muncey, Scripps, Dellow, Whyman, Barnes, and Rand. Thomas Whyman wanted it noted that he owned the timber shed in his garden. These cottages formed part of an enclave that was known as Well Yard. Near the road was a large circular well. In the 1963 electoral register, only one of the above cottages was still occupied.
At the southern end of Well Yard in the 1930s a police house was built – now the vicarage. Older residents still remember P.C. Sid Pointer. In 1969 Mr Strickland of Townsend House sold off part of the grounds for housing, and this was to be Townsend Close with 18 new dwellings. Our correspondent Mary Cash recalls looking over their part built new house at number 13 in 1970. Many cottages were demolished at the time when Townsend Close was created. Only numbers 129 and 133 now remain fronting the High Street. These were originally 3 cottages. The well was concreted over, and a new house built – number 127.