User:SecretSourceMarketing/sandbox

The Deepings Community Library
Located in Market Deeping, the Deepings Community Library is a fine Georgian building dating from the 18th century. Steeped in history, the building has served as many things eventually becoming the Community Library and offices.

The Deepings Community Library Building History
The Park (now known as Wade House and the families who lived there). The Library is a fine Georgian building dating from the 18th century with eh addition of the front bow windows, possibly about 1820. It is protected with its Grade II listing by English Heritage. The House may well have been a farmhouse originally and there was possibly a flax mill there too. The top storey reveals some wattle and daub in the building indicating an early date. Current research reveals that possibly only three names were associated with the building: Dixon, Sharpe and Wade. Three generations of the Sharpe family lived and worked in the building during most of the 19th century. Three generations of the Wade family continued practicing here from 1892 to 1971. Interestingly both families ran the only solicitors in the Deepings.

The 1880 Ordnance Survey Map clearly shows a larger house and a park, known collectively as the Park. It was still lived in by the Sharpe family at this time.

Three Sharpe Solicitors

This name has a continuous line back to the 17th century Deeping. The first direct link we know with the library building is with a stone in the old wall around the garden with the inscription; Samuel Sharpe 1820. Unfortunately the wall was demolished in 1971 when the site was redeveloped as a library, police station and health centre.

Samuel Sharpe 1773-1837

Samuel Sharpe became and attorney in Market Deeping and it is likely that 1820 was the date when a wing was added to the house as well as the bow windows. The 9 acre park with an orchard was also laid out at the same time. Samuel went to great lengths to protect the peaches planted there by enclosing the orchard with a high stone wall with galleries built in to light fires to protect the peaches from frost!

Samuel Johnson Sharpe 1803-1887

He was the eldest son of Samuel and Sarah. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1825 and practices in Market Deeping until his death in 1887. He built up a strong local reputation for his work and was a very astute solicitor. Sharpe by name and sharp by nature? There was evidence that his brother, George Grinley, also practiced law, as there were old law book belonging to him found in the office in the 1960s.

Samuel Bates Sharpe 1832-1916

He was the son of the Samuel J Sharpe and also followed in the family tradition as the firm grew in strength. Samuel Bates was something of a character. He was not as astute and industrious as his father and apparently the firm became known as “Sharpe and Hardly”! (This is based on a letter written by Richard Wade junior in 1981). Samuel had remarried in 1890 after his death of his first wife and was still living in the Park, but in 1892 he sold the practice to Richard Wade. He retired to London and in 1902 remarried in Jersey. His love of angling brought him back to Market Deeping at the very beginning of the pike season (1st October) so he could catch the big fish before anyone else got a chance! He always stayed at the New Inn (now the Stage).

Richard Wade 1868-1932
Richard was the first of the Wade family to practise as part of the Sharpe and Wade firm. He was born the son of a farmer in Skegby, Nottinghamshire and was educated at Applegate Grammar School in Newark. He bought the practise in 1892 and in 1900 he decided to separate off the business by having a detached office built in the grounds on the corner of Godsey lane.


 * the building can be just seen in the middle of this photograph. The row of cottages were later demolished to widen the access into Godsey’s Lane.

This photograph of Richard and Alice was taken outside the house in 1901 with Richard (junior) and Francis Rowland.

The practice covered the Deepings and Crowland. The Crowland office was the saloon in the George Inn (now the Abbey Hotel) and it was held every Thursday afternoon. The Sharpes and also Richard Wade (senior) would ride (or sometimes walk) there and sit with a glass of beer whilst waiting for the clients to come in. Richard Wade (junior) remembered this continuing into the 1960s!

On 30th April 1895 Richard had married Alice Clarissa Smalley in Barnack Church. She was the daughter of Skelton Smalley, a local Pilsgate gentleman.

Richard and Alice had 3 children together: Richard 1896-1934, Francis Rowland 1899-1982 and Hugh Armigel 1907-1949

Not only practicing as a solicitor, Richard played an active part in the whole life of the community for about 40 years:


 * Clerk to the burial authority
 * Conservative Kesteven County Councillor (he was Chairman of the Finance Committee and only resigned in 1917 through ill health)
 * A manager of the Market Deeping Endowed Boys School.
 * A Freemason from 1902 within the St Guthlac’s Lodge, Market Deeping
 * He supported Lord Kesteven at a local recruiting meeting for Lord Kitchener’s Volunteer Army in the Market Place in September 1914

(A small anecdote: Richard was fined at Bourne Magistrates Court in 1893 for “furious driving at Uffington”. It cost him 20 shillings and 12 shillings costs. This was an offence covering horse drawn carriages or vehicles. We wonder at the speed and the reason! He was not among the earliest motor car owners.)

In the late 1920’s and early 1930s the family suffered a triple tragedy: Alice dies in 1929, Richard’s death followed in 1932 and their eldest son Richard died in 1934.

Francis Rowland Wade 1899-1982 (known as Rowland)

Rowland was educated at Glebe House School, Hunstanton before attending Malborough College, leaving there in 1916. He went straight into the Navy as the Royal Navy Voluntary Reserve and was granted a temporary commission as Sub-Lieutenant from October 19th 1917. He was one of several Deeping men involved in the Zeebrugge Raid on the St George’s Day (April 23rd) 1918. He was part of the inshore flotilla in a motor launch (ML 252) patrolling alongside the Vindictive as it went in to block the harbour. As the youngest naval officer serving on that day, he later described himself as “young and impressionable”.

Afterwards he received message from his father that one local young man, Robert Stanton, had been injured that day. Sadly Roberts died from his wounds.

That must have had an effect on the young Rowland and after the war Rowland was a lifetime supporter of ex-servicemen, always attending the Remembrance Day services in the St. Guthlac’s Church. He took it upon himself to plan an annual reunion for the Zeebrugge men and in 1958, 40 years after the raid, he joined up with other veterans to do a broadcast on the BBC radio.

4th Battalion Kesteven Home Guard, B Company. Rowland Wade centre front

Rowland had married Elizabeth Deacon, daughter of a solicitor, on October 24th 1923. They had one son, Richard, who went on to continue in the family firm. He had already qualified as a solicitor when he married, following in his father's footsteps and becoming a partner in Sharpe and Wade, Market Deeping and Crowland in 1922 and practised for 45 years, handing over to his own son in 1967. Further historical artifacts can be found in the Deepings Library reference section.

Richard's keen interest in local history led to the "treat of the year" in the Deepings: his film shows. People still have fond memories of those evenings. This particular picture was part of the show.

In 1971 he began exploring the possibility of the sale of the property to Lincolnshire County Council. A letter of the 23rd September 1970 to the Clerk of South Kesteven Rural District Council suggests that "it could be put to a use which would benefit the Deepings as a whole and solve some of their problems." the first steps towards the use of the building as a Library today. He retired to Blakeney, Norfolk where he pursued his interests in boating and painting. His love of the countryside and its traditions had always fascinated him and he would seek out anyone who could teach him more, including poachers and Romany travellers. He wrote articles for magazine as well a novel, "Who Cares about Oscar?" (1991), drawing upon his knowledge and experience of the countryside after the Second World War. Richard Died in 2000.

The Deepings Library Today
The Library today serves as a useful resource for people of all ages in the community. The first floor is used as offices by Secret Source Marketing Ltd. and helps with the costs and maintenance of the building. The dedication of the Trustees, Librarians and team of volunteers help to look after and maintain the building, so that it can last long into the future for all to enjoy. The Deepings and surrounding community help support and raise money for the Library but importantly keep using its facilities to ensure its future. To understand even more about the buildings' history and view more historical documents and photos of the building then these are held in the library itself. There are often organised, guided tours around the building pointing out architectural items of interest and stories about the rooms and how they were used.