MEET ME AT THE FOUNTAIN?

The fountain on Boulevard is a wellknown HU3 landmark. Which is why meeting in front of this colossal Sturgeon laden structure for the Architecture Tour made sense. Over French Fancies and led by Caroline Gore-Booth we learnt how old clay pits off Anlaby Road used to make the area's tiles and bricks. We found the edge of Coltmans Land marked by a carved stone still in position. We heard how the Boulevard had 512 Lime trees and 130 Oriental Planes planted along its length. We discovered Saner St was named after a John Saner, who had been a tailor based in Whitefriargate. And how a current resident at 114 Cotman has recently discovered a well.

The tour, advertised in Issue 2, brought reader Roger Crimlis to reconsider his family's past in the area. Sharing with us how four generations of his family had lived at Dunkeld Villa’s or 140 Boulevard.

“My Grandmother, Millie Crimlis bought the house in 1937, whereupon she, her sons, Bobby and my father David, moved in along with her parents. Millie’s husband, Zacharia died in 1932, allegedly after swallowing a fish bone. Leading Mille to set up a dancing school to make ends meet. 140 Boulevard was the perfect location, as the large ground floor could be converted into a dance studio with full-height mirrors, a horizontal timber bar for the dancers and an upright piano. My father would sometimes be the pianist, and his brother Bobby taught some classes. Possibly due to his dancing ability, Bobby was also a successful amateur boxer!

ALEC GILL

The family stayed in the house throughout the war. On two occasions all of the windows of 140 and the neighbouring houses were blown in during air raids. Another air raid sent a sizable piece of stone through the roof and onto the grandparents’ bed. To bring light to this dark period, Millie held weekly concerts for the Armed Forces. After the war my father worked for his two uncles on the fish dock. My mother moved in when she married my father. My sister was born there in 1958. My father, mother and sister moved out of Boulevard in 1960, leaving Millie who stayed until her death in 1969. I remember visiting and seeing a brass plaque on the outside that read “Millie Littlewood School of Dance”. Throughout the life of the school, Millie polished that plaque every morning."

DISCOVER...

Alec’s Hessle Road book written by Alec with Iranzu Baker. Supported by GF Smith and funded with a Kickstarter »lensculture. com/alec-gill