Where Is This? No.183

Published on: 4 Nov, 2015
Updated on: 4 Nov, 2015

By David Rose

The demolition of the former Dennis Bros factory at Woodbridge was indeed last week’s vintage mystery photo.

And the holes in the wall in the quirky picture can be found at Guildford Castle, as many correctly identified, some adding they are the drains from a garderobe or privvy.

Interesting that John Lomas added the pun about any speedboats in a moat around the castle wouldn’t have wanted to moor up under that feature. You’d have thought the Stanniforth brothers would had come up with something along those lines – but they did make a joke about editor Martin Giles to get back at him for taking the micky out of them sometimes!

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

Where was this? Click to enlarge in a new window.

The vintage picture this week is another photo supplied by Ade Morley and was probably taken some 50 or 60 years ago.

A doorway for women? So what was this building? I think it was in Chertsey Street.

A stone inscribed with the words LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Where can it be found?

The quirky picture shows a stone upon which is carved LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. It’s not that old and there are some other marked stones close by. They all link up to a building close by which is close to the river. That’s a good enough clue and probably a prompt for more speedboat jokes. Well, Christmas is coming, perhaps we will offer one as a prize one week, if our boat comes in!

If you know the answers to this week’s mysteries and can perhaps add some extra facts, please leave a reply in the box below. They will be published at about the same time next week along with two more mystery images.

Responses to Where Is This? No.183

John Lomas Reply

November 4, 2015 at 11:47 pm

The old picture is surely of one of the entrances to a Guildford Labour Exchange.

I’m going to hazard a guess that it is 2 Haydon Place which was the subject of a parliamentary question on 30th July 1925.
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1925/jul/30/inspector-of-taxes-guildford-office

Even then, questions were being asked about working conditions for civil servants.

I’m going to hazard two guesses for the stone, The favourite is the Odeon cinema site, perhaps the stones all represent big films and their stars which have been shown there.

Or possibly the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre site, Peter O’Toole did appear there, though as Henry Higgins not as Lawrence, so that is the rank outsider.
Bernard Parke Reply

November 5, 2015 at 10:52 am

1) The Labour Exchange
Judy Oliver Reply

November 6, 2015 at 10:10 am

Is the main picture of the old Labour Exchange?
Ray Springer Reply

November 9, 2015 at 2:04 pm

I think this was the old Labour Exchange in Chertsey Street. Built in 1937 and demolished in 1999. I think there were different entrances for men and women – can’t think why this was.

I went there after I had completed my National Service to register for work again in civvy street (in the Men’s section I might add).

Don’t know where the stones are. Why Lawrence of Arabia? Did he have some connection with Guildford?
Chris Townsend Reply

November 10, 2015 at 3:40 pm

The doorway in Chertsey Street belonged to the Labour Exchange, built in the late 1930s. The notice board advertises “Vacancies for Women”. Modern offices now stand on the site, next to the Ivy Place row of cottages.

Names of films are on the quirky stones, found near the Odeon, off Bedford Road. I spotted “Schindler’s List” and “Reservoir Dogs” on stones close to the footbridge over the river.
Bill and Doug Staniforth Reply

November 10, 2015 at 4:57 pm

It was the Labour Exchange in Chertsey Street.

Just a wild guess but we reckon the stones are near the Odeon. We’re pretty sure there’s a stone with When the Boat Comes In..

The phrase you are looking for is: When the Cows Come Home. Ed
Margaret Cole Reply

November 11, 2015 at 10:33 pm

The ladies loo was at the entrance to Allen House grounds off Chertsey Street.

The Lawrence of Arabia sandbag got me, no idea, so must be somewhere remote.