Thanks to Paul Matten for taking the “Now” pictures and the explanations of Surfleet locations (click on the picture to enlarge)
These picture are looking at the River Glen along Station Road nearly opposite the Church. Again, the original was a bit of a puzzle, with the two gabled houses on the left. They must have been demolished around 1900, as Glen Villas now stands at the left hand of the picture and is a very typical late Victorian Mausoleum! However, the barn building in the original still stands, and that was the crucial bit in locating the original.
These pictures are opposite the Cod Squad – the building is identical to the original postcard, where it appears to be a general store. The cottages in the original have long gone, being replaced by a bungalow and the industrial buildings. The original must pre-date 1920, as there is no War Memorial at the side of the Village Hall.
These pictures are at the Riverside Hotel on the site of the old railway line, looking West. The original puzzled us for a while, with it being a Batemans Pub with dark brickwork. However, a close look showed a Level Crossing gatepost on the right of the picture, and a small railway keepers hut, so the picture had to be near the old railway. Sure enough, at the end of Station Road, we found the pub, and unbelievably the gatepost still standing! The Riverside Signboard still hangs where the Batemans Sign was! Date wise, probably early 1950s, looking at the flat bed truck, and also the Electric Power Line Poles.
These pictures are Surfleet Road looking North. The Mermaid Inn is on the left just after bridge, but the row of houses in the original postcard have long since gone, and the area is now outside seating for the Mermaid.
7 Responses
Thank you, Paul! What a wonderful thing, to compare these photos and see the influence of time in this area.
The two photographs of the approach to Surfleet church from the Gosberton direction are of the same place at different times. FR, 18/3/2025
The two photographs of the approach to Surfleet bridge from the Pinchbeck direction are of the same place at different times. FR, 18/3/2025
The two photographs taken more or less from the level crossing by Surfleet Station, looking westwards along Station Road, are of the same place at different times. The pub was The Great Northern Hotel, often shortened to ‘The Northern’. It is called ‘The Riverside’ now. FR, 18/3/2025
Thanks for contribution
The two photographs looking along the River Glen are not of the same place. They both show the River Glen and they are both views of Station Road, but they are at different ends of Station Road, Surfleet. The old photo shows Station Road going up to its eastern end, to the Station. On the right side of the photo we are looking at the back of the Northern, with houses leading up to it on the riverside, and then some buildings belonging to the station probably, but definitely the station master’s house. Those all show as a large mass in the photo. When I was little I don’t know how many of the houses on the left hand side of the road were still there, but some of us went to buy sweets from two ladies called the Misses Cave and their shop/house definitely seemed old. It was along there somewhere. When the old railway line was turned into the new A16 a completely new piece of road was made, leading up to the A16, and so it’s harder to see where that curve of the old road was, because a bit of it was completely eliminated.
The newer photo is taken from the riverbank opposite Glen Villa, which is next to the church, but we can’t see Glen Villa. We can see the barn that belongs to it, though. Behind the post there are the semi-detached houses which went with the council holdings. Now, there are four detached houses between Glen Villa and the semi-detached houses. Where the four houses are now, there used to be a barn belonging to a farm, then a house and a kitchen garden. FR, 18/3/2025
Thanks please keep contributing regards Geoff
I don’t know how to contact you by phone. I don’t know how to contact Paul Matten. I could show him on Station Road where to be in order to be looking at the scene which is the ‘then’ picture. I went to the post office yesterday so while I was there I walked over the road to the river bank, more or less opposite Glen Gardens. You’d probably need to go over the barrier or even into a garden in order to be in the place where the photographer stood for the ‘then’ picture. FR.
Frances, We have notified Paul that you would like to get in contact with him, and we will leave it to him to decide whether to make contact (needless to say we cannot pass on his contact details to you without his express permission.
Thanks,
Stuart Henderson,
South Holland Life Trustee.