It is believed that at one time there was a small starch manufactory here, as well as a chandlery, and the yard, which is an off-shoot of Mill Street (formerly entitled Windmill Lane) then received the name of " Starch Yard," which title it held until around 1900. It now bears the headline name, after the owner of the property there—Mr. John Aked (an octogenarian), who left Sutton, with his octogenarian wife, in 1893 to reside at Carrington. The old couple have lived in retirement for a number of years past. The yard had an ingress, but no egress.It no longer exists having been replaced by Local Authority Flats (Apartments).

 

 

This was formerly know as Starch Yard, after a small Starch manufactory which had premises here. It's name was changed to Aked's Yard, reflecting the owner of the property, Mr John Aked. Mr Aked owned a grocery store on King Street, and used buildings in the yard to bag his flour and to shed his delivery van. Mr and Mrs Aked later moved to Carrington (when in their 80's). The houses have frameknitter windows on the upper floors. The stocking -frame was a hand operated machine about the size of a small loom or small upright piano and was used to knit stockings or hose, and other small articles of clothing like hats gloves and scarves or mufflers from wool, silk and cotton. The frame work knitters worked at home, and either had a frame shop or workshop in the garden or a special room often on the top floor of the house with a special extra wide window to let in the maximum light for the stockinger to work. The yard no longer exists, having been demolished and replaced with Local Authority Flats.