The Broad Street Practice - Quality healthcare in the heart of Stamford
In 1996, as recent graduates, Perry and Anthea stumbled across and fell in love with Stamford. They moved from London, put an advertisement in the 'Mercury', sat down and waited for the phone to ring! Back then The Broad Street Practice consisted of just two treatment rooms, a reception area and the flat upstairs where Perry and Anthea lived - with Percy the cat - 'over the shop'.
Long hours and endless effort over many years has seen the Practice grow - now comprising eight treatment rooms and a studio (soon to be two new treatment rooms), spread over two buildings, a fully staffed reception, about 20 practitioners and having registered almost 22,500 patients. In the very heart of the close-knit Stamford community, our reputation is everything. Most patients come to us through word of mouth recommendation: Because we put our patients first, because we care and because we try to do our very best for everyone.
Read more below, about the buildings and town to which we belong.....
Proudly serving the community of Stamford
The Broad Street Practice is located in the heart of the ancient stone town of Stamford. The practice is housed in two beautiful Grade II listed buildings, adjoining each other at right angles – 20/21 Broad Street and round the corner (and in fact located in Star Lane), 22 Broad Street.
20/21 was originally two simple stone houses, one 16th century and the other thought to be considerably older. A cut stone facade added in Georgian times brings to it a sophisticated air! Little is known about the history of the building, but it is thought that it was once home to an apprentice stonemason – whose ‘etchings’ can still be seen on the exposed stonework in the back passageway. The ghost of a young girl is said to occupy the larger of the two attic rooms – she walks an old corridor along the back of the attic room and into number 19 next door, although none of us have ever seen her. The sound of a horse snorting and jangling it’s harness has been reported and it would seem to be tethered to the front of the building outside the ground floor treatment room!
Serving our patients since 1996
The attic rooms, under the eaves of the roof still have their horsehair and lime ceilings and old beams are evident in several of the rooms. A couple of beautiful old doors are still in situ. The south facing windows on the top floor have wide reaching views over the roof tops of the town towards the treetops Burghley Park in the distance.
20/21 Broad Street has long been part of Burghley Estates and is managed by the Burghley House Preservation Trust. It appears to have long been in commercial use, with various businesses operating from within it’s walls. Our research has revealed it was once a small prep school and it’s also been an electrical wholesalers, a picture framers and an out-size dress shop!
Our newest addition
22 Broad Street was for many years Gibson's Foundry. Before we took it over, it was a wedding dress shop run by Margaret Butchart, a theatre wardrobe mistress, who, having started her wedding dress business as a retirement hobby, occupied the building for 31 years!
‘Matchmakers’, providing wedding outfits to generations of Stamford brides and their bridesmaids. Compared to so many elegant and sophisticated wedding shops around today, Margaret’s little empire was from another era – a scruffy and chaotic treasure trove of dresses, veils, petticoats and sequins, scissors, pins, sewing machines and steaming irons!
The building, having been poorly maintained during it’s Matchmaker years, underwent complete refurbishment in the latter half of 2018 and now provides a beautiful contemporary environment, with four well appointed consulting rooms (three on the ground floor), and upstairs a light and airy studio space, with a real wood floor. The studio will soon be divided into two beautiful treatment rooms - one a small physio studio - with space for floor exercises as well as a treatment plinth. There are few features which demonstrate the ancient quirkiness of the building, but poke your head up into the roof space and the heritage of the building is displayed in all it’s grandeur, with crooked ancient beams and reed insulation.
