Where Is This? No.77

Published on: 2 Oct, 2013
Updated on: 8 Oct, 2013

By David Rose

Full marks to everyone who replied last week – you all recognised the vintage photo as being a view of Rosemary Alley from Millbrook.

And the ‘quirky’ thing was once a gas lamp column. It now stands in the Castle Ground. For more on that and lots of other useful facts added by readers, click here to see last week’s post and all the comments at the foot of it. There’s an interesting link from Doug and Bill Staniforth about pedestrian crossings!

I have also received an email from Peter Smith regarding the mystery house featured here a few weeks ago – the one that we thought might have been Weybourne House on the Portsmouth Road.

Peter wonders whether it shows the old Edgeborough House that stood on Epsom Road. He writes: “I know that it was used as a school prior to the Second World War. I worked there in the 1980s when it was the regional office for the Department of Transport. I recall that one of the odd features was that to one side of the house there was a chapel.”

Water, water everywhere and where was the Bridge Cafe? Guess there will be some remarks about speedboats!

Here’s this week’s mystery vintage photo taken during the September 1968 floods. I’m hoping many will remember the Bridge Cafe?

Where can this crown be found?

While here’s the ‘quirky’ photo – do you know where this is?

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.77

Bernard Parke Reply

October 2, 2013 at 7:23 am

1) Ladymead

2) Site of The Old Rose and Crown Hotel in High Street
Norman Hamshere Reply

October 2, 2013 at 9:30 am

Bridge Cafe at Ladymead on the original A3 by-pass now probably part of B&Q car park.
Ian Plowman Reply

October 3, 2013 at 7:42 pm

The bridge cafe is at the entrance to Ladymead Retail Park on what was then the A3. To the left of the photographer was Wadham Stringer a BMC Car Dealer.
Colin & Linda Jackson Reply

October 5, 2013 at 6:24 pm

We believe this is a photo of the old cafe which was along the guildford by-pass where the B&Q car park now stands. The road you can see to the side had an engineering unit and maybe county kitchens first started out down there.

The Crown may be where the post office now stands in Guildford town but not sure.
Sheila Podmore Reply

October 6, 2013 at 2:09 pm

The Bridge Cafe was down on what is now Ladymead Retail Park and was opposite the old Aldershot and District Bus Depot.

When we moved to Guildford in the winter of 1948 the removals lorry driver stopped there for a cup of tea before we actually arrived at the house in Drummond Road.
Chris Townsend Reply

October 6, 2013 at 4:44 pm

The Bridge Cafe was at the junction of Ladymead with Woodbridge Road, on the north side.

The crown is above the NatWest bank at 151 High Street. The Crown Inn stood on the site until about 1850, since when the building has had various occupants, including Simpson Brothers, drapers, before it became a bank in about the mid-1930s.
Colin & Linda Jackson Reply

October 6, 2013 at 5:55 pm

We think it is a photo of the cafe that was along the old Guildford by-pass. The site is now the B&Q car park. The road beside it was a small industrial estate and may have the first home of county tiles.

Might the next photo be where the post office now stands in Guildford town centre.
Brian Holt Reply

October 6, 2013 at 8:23 pm

The Bridge Cafe was where you now go into Ladymead Retail Park, opposite Woodbridge Road.
How many people can remember Mr Curtis known as (Robin Red Breast) who used to sit in the porch of the house on the right of the cafe, he always wore his red waistcoat and was retired, but was once landlord of the Seven Stars pub Swan Lane.

The Replica “Sign of the Crown” hanging outside the NatWest Bank High Street, is a reminder that the building was once the Crown Inn and family Hotel, one of Guildford’s five large coaching inns until 1850s.
In 1765 William Haydon, a draper opened Guildford’s first modern bank here.
A brass plaque records that when the premises was extended in 1899, the original facade was preserved,
the mouldings in the shape of buttons is a reminder of the origins of the building.
Wanting to keep his money and valuables safe, Mr Hayden built himself a small secure room.
As other shopkeepers heard about it, he soon found out that he was making more money than from his drapery business by keeping other people’s money safe and charging them for the privilege.
Sue Bushell Reply

October 7, 2013 at 8:07 am

I remember the Bridge Cafe which stood on the old A3, close to where B&Q now stands. The second photograph remains a mystery, the buildings do look like Upper High Street, am I close?
ray springer Reply

October 7, 2013 at 1:59 pm

The Bridge Café was on the old A3 (Ladymead)at the entrance to Ladymead Farm, opposite the junction with Woodbridge Road. You could get a good breakfast there I recall.
The crown is, I think, in the High Street, but not sure just where
Max Hurst Reply

October 7, 2013 at 8:14 pm

Bridge Cafe is now the entrance to B&Q. in my day the narrow road next to it was the entrance to very muddy Grays Of Guildford new car storage compound and opposite the Cafe was a big bus garage which is now Magnets
Bill Staniforth Reply

October 8, 2013 at 6:41 pm

The photo shows what was the Bridge Cafe. It was painted green and white. Opposite was the Aldershot & District bus garage and the ‘Morris Depot’ where B&Q is now. The entrance was just over the river bridge. Behind the cafe was a big yard with several industries, including a farm and, I think, the Home Counties dairy. There are more pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/routebus62/sets/72157624408181762/

Oh for more floods to allow other forms of transport to negotiate Guildford (I will get my speed-boat in the end).

No idea about the crown. (Oh dear and just as you were about to qualify for that speed-boat prize too! Afraid you go back to square 1 now. Never mind eh? Ed)
Brian Holt Reply

October 9, 2013 at 12:28 am

Bert Curtis was a grandson of Mr Curtis, he was in my class at Holy Trinity School. He lived in Onslow Village.
When we moved to Stoughton Bert and I would meet at the bus station and walk to and from school together.

The item about the Crown inn and the bank, I found on the website, Banks. Guildford Tour Friends.
- Donna Ralphs Reply
  
  December 28, 2021 at 9:53 pm
  
  My grandfather’s family are the Curtis’ that owned Ladymead Farm, would be good to know more history about them and the farm, if anyone remembers..?
John Lomas Reply

October 9, 2013 at 4:43 pm

Hi
Didn’t think about this location last week, but, further info to the right of the photo beyond the houses would be F G Barnes the Vauxhall/Bedford dealers garage.
I did some Saturday and holiday work there in the stores.
As well as sales and servicing they also built specialist bodies onto Bedford lorry chassis including IIRC Surrey CC mobile libraries.
John Lomas Reply

October 12, 2013 at 7:28 pm

The above should have read to the left of the photo.
Simon Vine Reply

October 13, 2013 at 8:40 pm

The Bridge Cafe in the late 70s was run by a charming guy called Pat. I used to work as a student at Plastic Coatings( now gone..) in the summer of 1977. Pat used to deliver sandwiches to the factory. As a student of languages, I remember that he spoke French fluently!
Rod Nye Reply

December 10, 2016 at 8:16 pm

I served an apprenticeship at Barnett Bros. We had sheds in Rolands Yard where B@Q is now.

Wincanton Transport had the yard immediatly behind the Bridge Cafe and also to the right of the driveway next to the cafe.

Rowland was a small transport business using ex War Department lorries and a pre-war Fiat lorry which was a bugger to start in the winter. Used to be two guys on a rope to pull it over centre and it wasnt unusual to see them thrown when it kicked.

I used to get the milk from Reg Curtis’ son in Ladymead Farm. Reg hiself was a miserable old git with a sargeant major’s voice that could be heard swearing at 200 yds. He said many times that he would have a Rolls Royce and he bought two Rolls Royce hearses not long before he died.

He always wore a red waist-coat under a grey jacket and always carried a bottle of cider.