many years
possessed in the modest red-brick building known as the Parish Room, on
the Fish Hill. In this case, however, it was not the original purpose
for which the building was erected. It was built about the year 1716
for the purposes of a school house, and by the contributions {113} of
gentlemen of the town and country round. It thus became something of a
public institution from the first, but when apparently its uses as a
school-house became less beneficial to the town it was applied to
general parochial purposes. The traditions of the pedagogue were,
however, not easily got rid of, for even when the parish had evidently
got into the regular custom of using it for meetings, there was at
least one person they had to reckon with who stood out stoutly for
whatever privilege the original foundation gave him for continuing to
teach the young idea how to shoot! The result was that a conflict of a
semi-legal character arose over the use of the building as to the right
of Henry Watson who was then using the room under a rather uncertain
tenure, but in harmony with the traditions of the place.

The outcome was that the Vestry triumphed, and the room was put in a
proper state of repair for the use of the parish.

The streets of the town were the natural drains feeding the stagnant
ponds. Not only was the Church Lane an open drain, but the piece of
Back Street, between the Cross and Kneesworth Street, was an open
ditch, across which was a plank bridge into the back way of the "Coach
and Horses." The High Street had no paving, but only a rough raised
path running along next the shops. The condition of the street was
such that ladies generally wore pattens and clogs, which were home-made
at Mr. Goode's, and it was no uncommon thing to see gentlemen wearing
them also; indeed, this was a much more common sight than to see a
gentleman wearing a moustache, which was viewed as a curiosity then.
The only person in the town and district then keeping a carriage was
Squire Wortham, in Melbourn Street.

But very little was done in the way of cleaning the streets and the
drainage was simple, natural, and unaided by art. A few years later,
however, about 1824, a beginning was made towards an improved state of
things, and a man was employed to sweep the streets periodically with a
besom at the munificent salary of 36s. 4d. a year! Over the seventy
years that have intervened, this pioneer of our town improvements
stands out cl