Welby Street in Grantham has undergone three name changes throughout its history. Originally called Sand Pit Lane, it later became Blue Man Street before taking its present name from the Welby family of Denton, major landowners in the area.
The street's connection to the Welby family runs deep. The first four Welby baronets all served as MP for Grantham at some point between 1802 and 1868, cementing their influence on the town.
The Blue Man pub and Whig politics
The Blue Man pub, which gave the street one of its former names, dates from the early 1700s and was first recorded as the Blue Man in 1805. The building is now Grade II listed. The pub's name likely reflects support for the Whigs by the Manners family, who purchased several of Grantham's inns around that time and added colours to their names to show their political allegiance. The building later became the Malt Shovel under different ownership, but has since returned to operation as a pub under the name the Blue Man.
Methodist worship in a loft
Welby Street holds a small but significant place in the history of Grantham's Methodists. Before their first chapel opened on Finkin Street in 1803, Methodist meetings were held in a loft above a smithy on Welby Street, accessed by a ladder that could be pulled away. The farrier who worked below had little sympathy for the congregation and made a point of working his bellows and hammer at their busiest during meetings.
Welby Street Infants school
Welby Street Infants school opened in 1858 as one of three National Society (Church of England) infant schools in the town, alongside Brownlow and Little Gonerby. The building was constructed of patterned, multi-coloured brick under a steep slate roof, with stone corners and window surrounds across two storeys.
The school served pupils from the poorer parts of town and struggled to attract the level of funding other schools received. When German bombers targeted Grantham during the Second World War, the town centre location became a liability. The school closed in 1940 for the duration of the war. Falling pupil numbers made running costs difficult to justify, and it never reopened. The building was used for storage until 1983, when it was demolished to make way for the Isaac Newton Centre.
The Welby Arms and pub closures
The Welby Arms pub was closed in 1932 as redundant. Chief Constable John Casburn explained the closure by pointing to the density of licensed premises in the area. Within 200 metres of the Welby Arms, there were 25 on-licences (premises licensed to serve drink on site), including the Plough, the Peacock and the Durham Ox, all on Welby Street itself. At that time, the area had one pub for every 86 residents.
Modern changes
Much of the southern end of Welby Street was demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the Isaac Newton Centre.