More good examples of Colchester’s medieval streets can be found in the group of streets named after the Stock Well, which was originally a place for watering livestock. These are East Stockwell Street, West Stockwell Street and the lane that links them which is simply known as Stockwell.
Philip Morant, the 18th century Colchester historian said “East and West Stockwell Streets take names from a spring rising in little lane between the two streets.” The little lane is the one I am focusing on today.
It was called Stok Welle Strete in 1337 but is now simply called Stockwell. However as can be seen from the sign on the building in the photo, echoes of the older name still linger.
Stockwell lies in the heart of Colchester’s Dutch Quarter which is named after the immigrants who came to England fleeing persecution from what is now Belgium and southern Netherlands, then known as Flanders, in the mid-16th century when that area was controlled by the Catholic king of Spain who persecuted the Flemish Protestants who lived there. They were invited to come here as England wanted their skills as wool weavers, especially in places like Colchester. However, it was not called the Dutch Quarter until the 20th century and some of them lived in other parts of the town too.
Initially they kept to themselves and they even sent home for brides to marry. They did later assimilated with the local population. Over 10,000 of them came so in the mid-17th century, immigration was halted.
They were making a cloth known as bays from wool. It was similar to the baize cloth now used on snooker tables. By the 17th century they were given authority to control it. Open ground within the town walls, including the large area north of Stockwell towards the wall, was used to dry the bays cloth as part of the process of making it. It was hung on large triangular frames known as tenter frames. They were held on to the frames by large hooks known as tenterhooks, hence the expression we have today.
Trade in woollen cloth declined and was gone by end of the 19th century due to competition from the north of England. This is why many timber houses remain in Colchester, especially here. The owners’ wealth declined and they couldn’t afford to rebuild in the increasingly fashionable and practical brick that was replacing timber as a principal building material.
If you would like to visit the Dutch Quarter and find out more about it, I include it on my tours, including my Wednesday Walks, so if you would like to see it, please see my Walking Tours page.