Tuesday 20 January at 7.20 p.m. marked the 20th minute of the 20th hour of the 20th day of the 20th year of the 20th century.
An advert from the Rushden Echo 4 January 1920
140 Wellingborough Road is the shop on the corner in the centre of the picture
The same view in 2012
At the Rushden Urban District Council meeting held on the 14 January 1920, at the Council Buildings, the Surveyor, Mr. W. B. Madin, reported that during 1919 plans had been passed for 27 houses and for 67 buildings of a miscellaneous character. Most of the 27 houses were council houses which, unfortunately, were not ready for occupation.
The problem of rats continued and it was decided to employ persons for the purpose of destroying rats. It was also decided to issue hand bills calling attention to the recent Act of Parliament requiring all persons to destroy rats on their premises.
An advert from the Rushden Echo
A postcard showing Boots shop
A medicine bottle marked Boots the Chemists from the Rushden Museum collection.
Boots shop 2019, still in the same place
Also at the Council meeting it was reported that the voting for a War Memorial for the town had been very much in favour of a Cottage Hospital, and it was decided that a meeting should be called of representatives of the various organisations in the town so it could be decided how they should proceed. The chairman of the council, Mr. Fred Knight, said he thought the people of the town who had lost sons or husbands would much prefer a memorial purely in memory of those who had fallen and he was disappointed that the people had not been given the opportunity to vote for that. Mr. Knight’s son, 2nd Lieut. J. Oswald Knight, was killed in action in October, 1916. Mr. Perkins said he had proposed that but it had been declined.
Mr. Fred Knight
Mr. Leonard Perkins M.B.E.
Rushden House was to be converted into a Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients of the county, in spite of objections from Rushden Urban District Council, and in January 1920 the Public Health Committee of the County Council were considering the cost of internal alterations and the provision of accommodation in the grounds for 66 patients. The Government were to pay three fifths of the cost provided it was no more than £300 per bed. The committee of the County Council recommended the Council to approve expenditure, for equipment and alterations, up to £20,000. This included the purchase money already approved. It was thought that after Government grants, the County Council would have to find about £4,000 which would add three farthings in the £ to the rates. Rushden members on the County Council were very much against the proposal on the grounds that the site was too near busy main roads and a school where 400 to 500 children were educated. They thought the building would be much more suitable for a Secondary School which was soon to be needed in Rushden. In spite of their protest the proposition was carried.
Rushden House
Rushden Sanatorium
Weather notes for January 1920 taken from the Rushden Echo:-
Summary of the records taken at the School Gardens, Station Road, Rushden.
The mean maximum temperature for the month was 44.71 degrees, and the mean minimum temperature was 34.18 degrees. The highest temperature of 54.0 degrees was recorded on the 18th, while the lowest recorded was 22.7 degrees on the 7th. The temperatures were higher than average for January.
The rainfall for the month totalled 1.94 inches, rain falling on 17 days out of the 31. The heaviest falls were on the 9th and the 28th when .34 inches fell on both days.
Snow fell on the 19th but the amount was very small.
Very rough squally weather was experienced from the 6th to the 12th, and again from the 19th to the 22nd.
Frosts were registered on eleven nights only.