On Sunday May 28th, 1905 a fire started in a threshing yard close to the Green and, swept along by a southerly wind, destroyed 11 houses along with barns and outhouses. 
The fire attracted a large crowd of Sunday sightseers from neighbouring villages, who travelled by a variety of means, including the bicycles seen on the left. This view show well the size of the crowds that came. It is taken in the centre of the High Street, looking south towards the houses at the top of Doctors Lane (now the site for the Village Hall).
The small low building on the extreme left was a farm shed belonging to Manor Farm and was pulled down to make way for the road down to the sewage works at the bottom of Doctors Lane. In the middle of the road can be seen the contents of Mrs Bromfield's laundry, which occupied one of the houses on the left. Piled up is the large buck tub in which the laundry was soaked, along with the smaller buck-ets used to empty it. On the left of the pile can be seen what appears to be the framework of a large roller mangle.
This area on the days after can be seen in KL001. Copies of this were available as a postcard, published by J H Golby of the Post Office, Eydon.
Photo taken by A H Vorts, of Daventry
Image lent by : Mr David Kench
Connected Photos: DK031 | KL001