Where Is This? No.184

Published on: 11 Nov, 2015
Updated on: 11 Nov, 2015

By David Rose

The doorway for women was at the Labour Exchange in Chertsey Street, as pictured last week for the vintage photo.

The stone with ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ inscribed on it can be found close to the Odeon cinema and near the river, off Bedford Road.

Thanks to all who replied. Some recognised the locations, some correctly worked them out, one or two were stumped or incorrect. Click here to see last week’s post and all the replies at the foot of it.

Another great photo for the vintage picture this week is from the collection of the late Dave Salmon.

Do you recall what was being built here?

So, what is being built here? About the 1960s? The pub sign on the right is a good clue.

Where can this be found?

The quirky picture was taken by Martin Giles and shows some lettering carved into brickwork in a street not too far from the High Street and the castle.

Very hard, I admit. The lettering on the bricks on the left is: ‘S. M >’, and on the right: ‘M H C’ and below that <H. T.

It marks the boundaries of two parishes. Do you have any idea where it can be found and what the letters stand for?

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.

And, I am starting a new occasional column that will feature more of Dave Salmon’s photos. It will be called Were You There?

Dave took many pictures of events in Guildford, but unfortunately in many cases we have little inforamtion about them or who is featured.

You may recall them, and even know some of the many people in the pictures. If you can help, please leave a reply in the box that will appear at the foot of the post. The first is coming very soon…

Responses to Where Is This? No.184

Bernard Parke Reply

November 12, 2015 at 7:14 am

The building of the Sydenham Road Car Park.

The cost of parking the was 6p (time unlimited)
Many people just paid the 6p to drive to the top of the car park to see the view.

This was to be the first of a further eight such parks.

Whilst the building was in progress worked stopped when a skeleton was found.

It was thought to be a crime scene, but afterwards it was found that it had once been part of the Holy Trinity grave yard.
Mary Bedforth Reply

November 12, 2015 at 7:20 pm

Car park with Sainsbury’s below. Sydenham Road next Royal Oak pub.

HT: Holy Trinity.
SM: St Mary’s.
MHC: no idea.
Location: no idea.
John Lomas Reply

November 14, 2015 at 4:33 pm

The monochrome photo is the construction of the multi-story car park on Sydenham Road. The Royal Oak pub is just behind Holy Trinity church.

The bricks are on Castle Street between the vehicle entrance to Saxon House and the rear/trade entrance to Tunsgate Square.
SM is probably St Mary’s parish and HT Holy Trinity parish.

The blue brick wall to the right appears to be much later, so perhaps it was rebuilt and an older HT brick reset in it.

The third Diocesan Bishop of Guildford was Henry Colville Montgomery Cambell (1949-1956). According to Wiki he was known as Montgomery Campbell. Maybe the MHC brick was incorrectly lettered but signifies who was bishop at the time of the resetting of the boundary markers.
Chris Townsend Reply

November 15, 2015 at 8:33 pm

The 1960s photo shows the building of the Sydenham Road car park.

On the right is the back of the Royal Oak pub, which lost part of its garden to road widening about that time.

In the quirky picture, a useful clue is the distinctive brick of the Keep pub (or the Two Brewers as I still think of it) on Castle Street.

The lettering is next to the entrance to Saxon House and stands for St Mary’s and Holy Trinity parishes.

The entrance once led right through to Read’s the butcher’s on the High Street, a shop now occupied by EE.

Old maps show the boundary, which appears to extend alongside the property and across the High Street.
Bill and Doug Staniforth Reply

November 17, 2015 at 4:45 pm

It was the multi-storey car park in Sydenham Road.

What was on the site before the car park?

A pub called the Queen’s Head. David Rose

The brickwork lettering is in Castle Street by the Keep pub.

The parishes are St Mary’s and Holy Trinity.

We’re not sure what MHC is, could there be a speedboat connection?

Er… no. Ed
Brian Holt Reply

November 17, 2015 at 9:47 pm

Photo 1. The building of Sydenhan Road multi-storey car park.

In the late 1940ws it was known as South Street. I remember it well.

Candy Corner sweet shop and tobacconists was on the corner of Tunsgate, then a small car park; then Stevens fish and chip shop, where we used to buy our chips. I knew Mrs Stevens who served in the shop and her son Michael.

Next door was Hopes newsagents and then a boot repairers. Then there was a path into Holy Trinity Churchyard, two doors up was my hairdressers a nice elderly Canadian gentleman.

The pub sign is The Royal Oak, 15 Trinity Churchyard.

Photo 2. Is it either Chapel Street or Castle Street? SM is the Parish of St Mary’s and HT is the parish of Holy Trinity. These two churches later join to become one Parish of Holy Trinity and St Mary’s.

I was christened at Holy Trinity Church, and my brothers at St Mary’s, where one brother was also a choir boy.

Another wonderful little vignette from Brian Holt of Guildford life over 50 years ago. Many thanks. Ed.
Margaret Cole Reply

November 18, 2015 at 9:04 am

The first picture shows the Royal Oak in Sydenham Road with the multi-storey car park being built.

The second picture can be found in Castle Street No.28 Saxon House, next to the entrance to the Tunsgate car park.

I think the letters represent St Mary’s and Holy Trinity churches and St Micheal’s which are in the diocese of Guildford but not too sure. Someone will know!