Dr. Hunter's House, 24 High Street, Bridge.
Dr. Roger Hunter, my father, came to Bridge with my mother in about 1937 when he
bought the house and the practice from Dr. Wilson. Dr. Wilson had been the village doctor
for many years and lived in the house with his brother, known as Mr. Jack, and their valet.
l assume they kept their horses out in the carriage house which is just round the corner up
Union Lane. The old stables with two rooms above are still in a more or less original state,
with the present garage added on. My mother thinks that the house was still lit by gas
when she arrived, but l am not sure about this.
The surgery was in the house with patients entering the waiting room through the door in
the wall to the left of the house. Private patients were allowed to wait in the dining room
and go in through the front door! In the 40s and 50s l can remember needles and syringes
were sterilised on the kitchen stove in a saucepan and the drugs were kept in the family
‘fridge. My father worked closely with Mr. Stockwell who was the chemist in the village.
Mr. Stockwell’s shop was down on the corner of Mill Lane and the High Street where I -
think there is now a kitchen appliance shop. He would make up the pills and potions in the
back of the shop.
The interior of 24 High Street is still very much as it was structurally, with all the original
doors and fireplaces, etc. The hall ceiling is attractively plastered. ln the basement there is
an area where wine and spirits could be locked up and there is another large area with
cupboard for storing apples and vegetables. The roof was repaired recently and over the
bathroom the roofers found a large flat water tank which must have been used for
collecting water for the house.
It was a shame that when the roof was renovated back in the 70s (I think) that a copy of
the original pediment wasn't replaced and a mean little strip of wood was put back. You
can see a trace of the original pediment on the corner of Miss Jones's house next door.
The heavy traffic over the years before the by-pass was built caused the mathematical
tiles on the front of the house to loosen and they all had to be re-fixed. l think that is when
the pediment was taken down.
Mathematical tiles were renovated on the side of the house early this year and l saw that
the lower ones were fixed in plaster and the upper ones hung on timber.
This is nothing to do with my parents‘ house, but l can remember Fagg‘s Farm as we used
to ride with Captain Maslin, the local riding instructor, who sometimes kept his horses
there, and we used to keep our ponies in the three fields where the Western Avenue
estate now is.
l hope this is useful information - do get in touch if you would like more help.
Diana Cairns (01227 752836)