Mr Deck came up in a talk at the Mill Road History Society this evening, so I started trawling through the British Newspaper Archive to see what it threw up. This reminiscence from 1924 of a Victorian New Years Eve on King’s Parade tells us that Mr Deck was originally from Bury St Edmunds, up the road in Suffolk.
Isaiah Deck, Cambridge chemist and purveyor of various other things too! In the Bury Free Press of 12 Jan 1924. From the British Newspaper Archive.
“JAS (Bury St Edmund’s) writes:
“The reference to Isaiah Deck in your last issue revives memories of years that have passed. It brings back King’s Parade (Cambridge) New Year’s Eve with its merry crowd people all ages and stations collected there to welcome the New Year.
“Many times have I witnessed this event. Going back twenty years, you arrived King’s Parade about 11.40. and if you felt energetic you pushed your way through the happy crowd and took a stand inside the gateway leading to King’s College, for that was the venue in those days.
“A few minutes before midnight a small procession would start from the chemist’s shop of Deck, opposite the gateway, and, traversing the cobbled entrance, proceed to affix two rockets in readiness for the outgoing and incoming year. One rocket was fired on the first stroke twelve to bid good-bye to the Old Year; the other rocket was fired on the last stroke twelve to , welcome the New Year.
“Each rocket was a different colour, that people a long way off were notified. The crowd raised mighty cheer, and “Auld Lang Syne” was sung again and again, and Happy New Year” was the general greeting.
“The first time I witnessed the Old Year out and the New Year in the chief one in the procession was Mr Deck, who fired off the rockets as instituted his father, Isaiah Deck, the Bury worthy to whom reference was made in last week’s [Bury] ‘Free Press.’ [of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk]
“In recent years Mr. Arthur Deck, grandson of Isaiah Deck, has carried on. This event is one that Cambridge is proud of, and it is a pleasure to know that Bury St Edmunds is connected with such an old institution.
“There is a Cambridge riddle in connection with King’s Parade and Deck’s shop. It is: ‘Why is King’s Parade like a ship?” No doubt you will think of the answer in few minutes. I enclose a drawing of Isaiah Deck, the old worthy referred in your last issue. From the reproduction perhaps some residents of Bury St Edmunds will recognise a friend of many years ago?”
Lost Cambridge 