Twiddy's Undertakers.

Born in Botolph Street Boston in 1878, Henry Twiddy started work at an early age cleaning boots at Rainey and Son's factory before he went to school in the mornings. At the age of 14 he became an errand boy for Messrs. Scrimshaw, house furnishers, Dolphin Lane (below) for 3 shillings and sixpence a week.

A year later he became apprenticed as a cabinet maker with Simpson and Son's and when his apprenticeship was completed he went to Newcastle and later spent a year with a firm in Louth before returning to Simpson's, of Boston, (below) with whom he spent the next 22 years, the last ten as foreman.

Mr. Twiddy had always had the ambition to start his own business, and eventually he bought the premises of Mr. W. Darby, undertaker and art dealer, in Wormgate, where he continued the business of undertaker and converted the shop into a furniture dealers emporium.  The only help he had at this time was from his brother, Mr. Sidney Twiddy, but later the showrooms were much enlarged (by 1924 he occupied numbers 41, 43 and 45 Wormgate) and modernised and his two sons entered the business, and he employed a cabinet maker, an apprentice and an upholsterer.
In 1893 Henry became a member of the Grove Street Congregational Church, became a Deacon in 1915 and became treasurer of the church (below) in 1934, he was also a member of the choir for many years.

Some Mkt. Place lanes.

CORNHILL LANE.

Cornhill Lane when it was named Cockbourne Lane.

This street name is comparatively modern, it was formerly called Cockbourne Lane and once was the site of the Post Office.

DOLPHIN LANE.

Jessop's of Dolphin Lane in 1936.

Dolphin Lane has been a busy thoroughfare since Boston's early history. The ancient name of the street is lost but the present name was, in all probability, taken from an inn called The Dolphin that stood near the east end of the narrowest part of the lane. In the 1880's this inn had an unenviable reputation and, some years later, the licence was revoked and the premises used by Mr. Charles Small as a mission room. The old buildings were ultimately destroyed by fire along with the furniture stores previously occupied by Mr. W. Scrimshaw.

Scrimshaw's of Dolphin Lane.

PETTICOAT LANE.

Some believe that the name of Petticoat Lane (like that of Threadneedle Street) was copied from the street of that name in London, others have another explanation. In a map of 1742 Petticoat Lane is called Smock Alley and what is now called Mitre Lane (in Strait Bargate) was then called Petticoat Lane. When these names were given it is just possible that these lanes, leading as they did, from the central area to walks through fields and pastures, may have been a favourite meeting place for the wearers of smocks and petticoats.