When Albert Street was opened, Mr. Joseph Richardson, who had been foreman joiner to the late Isaac Warner, bought the land from the lower stile to the cross one, and started as a builder, etc.
But unfortunately he developed consumption and passed away, leaving one son, Allan, who became a schoolmaster.
His aged father, (John Richardson) who had lost an arm, helped in the business, until it was finally disposed of.
Born in 1831, Joseph Richardson, who married Sarah Bostock in February 1853, was the son of Shipley-born lacemaker John and Ann (nee Allen).
The 1871 census describes ‘aged father’ John as having one arm. He spent the last years of his life in Regent Street and died there in November 1882.
Joseph and Sarah lived most of their married life in Regent Street though their only child, John Allen (paternal grandmother?), was born at Brussels Terrace in 1853.
Sarah died in 1873, ‘after a lingering illness’, and Joseph, ’much respected’, four years later.
Both are buried in the extension graveyard of St. Mary’s Church.
Mr. Hawkins bought the land, and extended his foundry.
Son John Allen Richardson served as a pupil teacher before leaving Ilkeston to become master at Christ Church National School at Bouverie Road, Folkestone. He lived his retirement years in Kent and died there in 1924.
Albert Street.
In 1871 a resident wrote to the Pioneer complaining,
“there used to be a nice foot road from Queen Street to Derby Road. The Board has allowed this to be illegally stopped, and they profess to have surveyed and set out a new street, called Albert Street which is quite useless and impassable”.
Albert Street commenced at Derby Road and stopped at Rutland Foundry. From there it continued as a narrow path between the wall of the last house in Queen Street and a yard formerly belonging to the works. It then continued northwards as a rough cart track, with orchards on its western side, eventually leading to Pimlico.
This cart track was perhaps the Twitchell down which Mrs Cope would walk, when taking her work to the house of Mrs. Fish in Queen Street (See Mr. and Mrs. Cope)
The minutes of the Local Board dated June 13th 1873 record that …..
“Mr. Columbine attended before the Board and stated that he was anxious to commence building a house in Albert Street and that he would like the Board to pass his plans at once as all things were ready to begin. He said he approved of the Board making the road and was quite willing and ready to pay his share”.
The Board unanimously agreed to his request.
Later that year the Board resolved to cover Albert Street with furnace cinders, nine inches deep at the centre falling to four and a half inches at the sides; the footpath, five feet wide, was to be laid with furnace screenings. The road was to be ten feet wide and was to be sewered with best Sanitary Socket Pipes, 12 inches in diameter.
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And so back to South Street.
