Where Is This? No.145

Published on: 29 Jan, 2015
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2015

By David Rose

Last week’s mystery vintage picture was indeed a view across the River Wey at Millmead with the Plummer Rodis building under construction.

Some excellent replies once again adding lots of extra detail, including the owner of the Jaguar car – but not Inspector Morse as the Stanniforth brothers suggested!

Click here to see last week’s post and all the replies at the foot of it.

The quirky picture showed some detail within the wall of the building on the corner of North Street and Market Street – once Gammons and now occupied by the fashion retailer French Connection.

No one mentioned that the Berni Inn was on the first floor for some years in the 1970s and 80s. At least I think it was thereabouts. Does anyone have any memories of that eatery? The menu was pretty standard: Starters: melon boat with marashino cherry or prawn cocktail; main course: steak, gammon or plaice with chips, and peas; dessert: Black Forest gateau or a choice from the cheese board; plus Irish coffee and After Eight mints.

This week’s post goes up a day later than usual – lots of other stories and comments have been coming in to the Guildford Dragon over the past week!

However, here are this week’s mysteries.

Where is this and what are these people waiting for?

The mystery vintage view is somewhere that’s very topical at the moment! The date is 1964, so can you name the location and say why a large crowd has gathered?

Where can this bell tower be found?

Here’s the quirky picture and a somewhat odd building – a bell tower separate from its church. It is within the borough of Guildford. Do you know where it can be found?

If you know the answers to please leave a reply in the box below. All replies will be posted at about the same time next week (hopefully Wednesday), along with a new post with the answers to this week’s photos and the next pair of images.

Responses to Where Is This? No.145

John Lomas Reply

January 29, 2015 at 11:49 am

The modern picture appears to be Tongham, the building behind the bell tower is possibly the Old School.

When I lived in the area this was still part of the old Guildford Rural District Council, not part of the borough.
John Lomas Reply

January 29, 2015 at 12:20 pm

I can’t picture the area with the shops set back like that and traffic islands unless it is London Road in Burpham.
Was it the occasion when the Queen opened the new WRACS barracks?
David Middleton Reply

January 29, 2015 at 11:52 pm

Guildford railway station on the occasion of the visit by HM Queen Elizabeth II in November 1964 to open the refurbished WRAC Depot Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Stoughton Here’s a British Pathe News Film clip of the occasion:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/queen-opens-womens-barracks

I hope the link works – “Powder Puff Barracks” indeed!

The quirky photo is the belfry of St Paul’s Church, Poyle Road, Tongham.
Linda Jackson Reply

January 30, 2015 at 3:02 pm

1. This must be the crowds waiting to see the queen pass by outside the train station in 1964. She was on her way to the Women’s Royal army Corps camp at Stoughton. Did she travel to Guildford by train?

2. This does look like St Paul’s Tongham.
Ray Springer Reply

February 1, 2015 at 9:57 am

This looks like the entrance to Guildford railway station, but what the crowd were waiting for I really don’t know – possibly the arrival of somebody important.

The quirky picture is of the bell tower at St Paul’s Church in Poyle Road Tongham. This tower was only built in 1957 to replace a wooden belfry, although the church itself is from 1865.
Nigel Burke Reply

February 1, 2015 at 5:38 pm

Is it St Paul’s Tongham?
Chris Townsend Reply

February 1, 2015 at 6:28 pm

The vintage view is of the railway station, but I’ve yet to recall any exciting events there in 1964 – I’m sure I wasn’t in that crowd!

The quirky picture shows St Paul’s, Tongham.

A wooden tower housing 13 tubular bells was built in 1899, given by Henry Morris Chester of Poyle Park in memory of his mother.

That tower was replaced by a brick-built one in 1954. Dr Chester, last squire of Tongham, also gave the war memorial cross.
Brian Holt Reply

February 2, 2015 at 2:24 pm

Picture 1 is top of Bridge Street and Station Approach.

The crowd are waiting to get a glimpse of the Queen as she arrived at the station by train, then continued her journey by car to open the new Women’s Royal Army Corps Camp at Stoughton.

The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, trained with the ATS there, and in 1979 she returned to take part in a reunion. She unveiled a plaque inscribed: ‘This plaque commemorates the visit of HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN on 26th May 1979 For the 60th Anniversary of the Association QMAAC-ATS-WRAC’.

Picture 2 is St Paul’s Church in Poyle Road,Tongham. The 1865 church used by Anglicans was designed by Ewan Christian, and is Grade 11 listed and was “erected by” John Back, who owned Aldershot Park, a large public park with many leisure facilities accessible via a track from the village.

The free standing bell tower erected in 1899, is the only one in Surrey. It originally contained 13 tubular bells that rung a carillon that was said to sound like sheep bells. In 1957 these was replaced by a set of electronically-operated bells.

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Russell Morris Reply

February 2, 2015 at 8:59 pm

The crowd is outside Guildford railway station awaiting the arrival of the Queen who came to open the new WRAC barracks at Stoughton.

These were generally, but politically incorrectly, known as the “Powder Puff Barracks”. A Pathe News film of the opening can be seen on the following link: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/queen-opens-womens-barracks

I believe that the Dragon has previously shown a wider panorama of this view showing, on its right, a modern commercial building which itself has since been replaced.

The tower was built in 1957 next to St Paul’s Church, Tongham. Is it the only detached bell tower in Surrey.
Margaret Cole Reply

February 3, 2015 at 9:53 am

The first picture is of crowds waiting for the Queen to pass at the railway entrance en route to the WRAC Camp in Stoughton.
Margaret Cole Reply

February 3, 2015 at 9:56 am

The clock tower is in St Paul’s Churchyard Tongham, just inside GBC boundary.
Doug and Bill Staniforth Reply

February 4, 2015 at 6:24 pm

Picture 1 is Guildford railway station. The crowd could be waiting to see the Queen when she came to the consecration of the cathedral or possibly to view the boats (speed) on the river.

No idea about picture 2, but you can bet the tower was built so you can see ?

[Ed: do you mean see speedboats?]
Sheila Atkinson Reply

February 6, 2015 at 9:20 pm

I have to admit I didn’t recognise the area in the first photo. During the 1970s I used to go to a ladies hairdressers there it was called Malcolm’s.