School Lane
School Lane is so-called because of the school, now called Badsey First School, which was built on the road in 1895. Prior to that it had different names. At the time of the Badsey Enclosure, this road was referred to as the Wickhamford Road, but it is shown on the map as Gibbs Lane. The name of Gibbs Lane came from the Gibbs family who owned what is now The Wheatsheaf Inn. It was not an inn in those days but was where Nathan Gibbs operated a bakery business until his death in 1825. During most of the 19th century it was called Bakers Lane as Edward Cook ran a bakery and was a grocer. It was still called Bakers Lane in 1901, even though the school had been erected by then. By 1938 it was known by its present name of School Lane.
Development began with The Bell Inn on the north side, probably in the 18th century. During the 19th century, cottages were erected on the south side, but were demolished in the 20th century. At the end of the 19th century, the school and schoolmaster’s house were built at the other end of the lane on the south side.
Further development did not take place until the 20th century. On the north side, two pairs of semi-detached houses were built in the 1930s and two detached houses were built in the 1970s. The Bell Inn closed in the late 1960s and was converted into residential accommodation. On the south side, two cottages were erected in about 1867 and demolished a hundred years later. The land nearest the High Street was rented out as a builder’s yard until 1956 when the land was sold and houses were built in the 1970s.