Where Is This? No.76

Published on: 24 Sep, 2013
Updated on: 24 Sep, 2013

By David Rose

The village of Albury was correctly identified by many as the location of last week’s mystery vintage photo. However, a few of those who replied came unstuck as to the windows shown in the modern ‘quirky’ view. That is the Electric Theatre building.

Interesting that those still after some kind of prize – speedboat, cases of Champers, etc, were the ones who got that building mixed up with either the nearby Rodboro Building or The Billings, just across the River Wey! Oh well, keep trying – they say this year’s fruit harvest will be a bumper one!

Click here to see last week’s post and all the replies at the foot of it, that include some useful facts. You’ll read that Peter Bullen rules out the other recent photo of a house with a chapel on the side as not being today’s Mount Alvernia Hospital.

I am wondering whether that building is in Guildford at all. Click here to see original post about it. You’ll read that a woman from Canada who contacted Guildford Museum about the photo wrote that her mother was in hospital in Guildford (1950) and then convalesced in the building featured in the photo.

Back then it was not uncommon for recovering patients to be sent further afield for rest. There were convalescence homes at places such as Netley on the Hamble in Hampshire, for example. So that house may not be in Guildford at all. But it does kind of look ‘local’. Any more suggestions would be welcome.

Can you say where this is in Guildford?

So on to this week and a vintage picture view that dates to about the end of the 1950s? Some features remains, others have long gone. Do you know where it is?

Have you seen this and do you know where it now stands?

The ‘quirky’ thing is old, but not as ancient as it might appear. Do you know where it is and what it was? Note: it is not in its original position.

If you know the answers to this week’s, and perhaps have some comments to make, please leave a reply in the box below. All replies will be posted at about the same time next week, along with a new post with the answers to this week’s vintage photo and quirky picture, and the next pair of images.

Responses to Where Is This? No.76

Bernard Parke Reply

September 25, 2013 at 7:29 am

1) Rosemary Alley. The Alley at one time was the site of the Guildford Mortuary.

2) The Castle grounds
Carol Norris Reply

September 25, 2013 at 9:06 am

Picture 1 : Rosemary Alley – Millbrook at the bottom – Quarry Street at the top. Bellairs Studio of Dance and Drama Building on the left – later part of Guidford School of Acting – built on the site of the old town mortuary.
Ray Springer Reply

September 25, 2013 at 3:31 pm

This is Rosemary Alley that runs from Quarry Street to Millbrook.
My first job ever was at No.8 Quarry Street and I often used Rosemary Alley, up and down those steps (They weren’t so steep then !)
Apparently this used to be a sewer which emptied into the river below.
David & Ann Bailey Reply

September 28, 2013 at 7:22 pm

Rosemary Alley between Quarry Street and Millbrook.

This column now stands near the entrance to the Guildford Castle grounds. It may have been one of a group of gas mantles to light the bowling green for evening dances.
Jeff Hills Reply

September 29, 2013 at 12:16 pm

The top photo is from Millbrook called Rosemary Alley, which leads up steps to Quarry Street.
Brian Holt Reply

September 29, 2013 at 5:37 pm

The picture is Rosemary Alley, linking Millbrook to Quarry Street. As I found out many times the steps become steeper the higher you ascend.

This picture was taken later than the 1950s as Millbrook was not opened to traffic until February 1962 when the picture was probably taken, as there is still a shed in the picture.

Mill Lane at the side of St Mary’s Church comes through here to the river. Our house was demolished for the building of Millbrook.
Doug and Bill Reply

September 30, 2013 at 4:42 pm

It’s the Millbrook crossing at the bottom of Rosemary Alley, one of the first Panda Crossings as
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/14/newsid_3044000/3044335.stm
The column may have been in Allen House Grounds, it was probably used by Frankie Howard as Lurcio who coincedently was a very keen speedboater.
Doug and Bill Reply

September 30, 2013 at 4:46 pm

PS
Does anyone know if Messenger Estate agents sold the shed pictured?
Chris Townsend Reply

September 30, 2013 at 9:01 pm

The vintage view is of the foot of Rosemary Alley, with the Founder’s Studio of the Guildford School of Acting on the left. The school was previously named after Bice Bellairs, one of the founders of the School of Dance and Drama. Does anyone know what happened to the sculpture of a dancer once on that site? Before the Bellairs School, there was the town mortuary and adjacent cottages on what was then Mill Lane before Millbrook was constructed in the early ’60s. The panda crossing dates the photo to between 1962 and 1967 or so.

The ‘quirky’ thing is a grade II listed early gas lamp column, just inside the Castle Grounds, by the Castle Square entrance. It was originally at the junction of London Road and Epsom Road, and was put up by the Guildford Gas Light and Coke Company (established in 1824).
Carol Norris Reply

October 2, 2013 at 8:23 am

Re : sculpture outside Bellairs School of Dance & Drama.
The sculpture was originally by Price Yuriovitch (not sure of spelling – too long ago to remember). I think it was re-created for Bice Bellairs by the Prince assisted by Lorne McKean, Bice’s daughter who is, of course, a sculptor with a world-wide reputation. I believe the figure was vandalised and that when it was moved it either disintegrated or else became too heavy for the somewhat fragile building. The Studio itself was only reckoned to last 20 years. It flooded frequently and that upset the electricity – and those of us who worked there.
David Berry Reply

December 5, 2013 at 6:44 pm

There used to be two excellent statues situated on the balcony of the Guildford School of Acting, opposite the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. They were either the work of Prince Serge or Bice’s Daughter Lorne.

Sadly they are no longer there.

They were a fine and fitting landmark.