Please note Caldwell Street was called Holland Street in 1881 – see here.
Kelly’s Directory 1881 tells us that at 45 Holland street lived Miss M Walker, a dressmaker.
Click here to see where this property would have stood on a modern day map.
Expanding on the info taken from Kelly’s Directory and looking at the Census we find out a little more…
Well actually we don’t. The census records I have for this part of the street in 1881 are badly damaged and so I am unable to delve any further with Miss Walker. I have looked at the 1871 and 1891 Census, both of which show a different set of people living at number 17. Miss Walker will remain a mystery.
One thing that is apparent is that there were many dressmakers in this area, a rather lowly profession. The plight of the women whose lives were spent trying to find good light and a sharp needle, some of whom eventually went blind, is documented here.