Where Is This? No.210

Published on: 19 May, 2016
Updated on: 25 May, 2016

By David Rose

Lots of good replies last week identifying the vintage picture as a view towards Tunsgate with Holy Trinity Church and Abbot’s Hospital in the High Street.

Certainly taken from the top of Guildford Castle.

In the comments (click here to see them all) John Lomas said he thinks the picture dates to the early 1950s, going on the cars parked in what was then a temporary car park.

Plenty of other comments as well about the shops once in Tunsgate.

A reply by Marion Davies was accidentally posted to Where Is This 208? She wrote: “Being notoriously bad at identifying stuff on photos I asked my husband and he immediately saw it was Tunsgate.

“Holy Trinity and Abbot’s Hospital in background. No multi-storey car park of course! There are a line of shops and in front is the old car park.

“My step-grandfather and stepfather’s shop was Wheeler’s (the pretty bow-fronted shop that is now something like Knobs and Knockers?), they were electrical engineers and retailers for many years.”

The lettering featured on the quirky picture can be found at the top of the Upper High Street near the junction with Epsom Road – where there are a number of estate agent’s offices.

David Smith made an interesting comment that the reason why the lettering is there is because when the Trinity Gate block was built it was designed with cafes with outside tables and chairs in mind.

Also among the comments, more on Woodbridge Road’s one-way direction back in the 1940s. So I am now thinking that the Where Is This? 208 picture of the Olympic Torch runners may well be that location.

What was this building and what’s there now? Click to enlarge in a new window.

Here is this week’s mystery vintage picture and a centre for senior citizens pictured in about the 1980s? Where was it and what’s there now?

A pair of telephone boxes – where are they? Click to enlarge in a new window.

The quirky picture is another taken by Dragon editor Martin Giles (he’s better spotting these than I am at present) and a pair of telephone boxes – something you perhaps don’t see too often. So, where are they?

If you know where this week’s mysteries are, please leave a reply in the box below – and extra details if you have them.

They will be published along with two more mystery images at about the same time next week. Good luck.

Responses to Where Is This? No.210

Caroline Reeves Reply

May 19, 2016 at 12:33 pm

The building is the North Place Day Centre, now the site of the Waitrose car park and town houses.

The telephone boxes are on the Tunsgate Arch side of Tunsgate.
Jeff Smith Reply

May 19, 2016 at 4:05 pm

I think the building is Stoke bowls club!

The telephone boxes are by Tunsgate Arch next to the toilets.
Dave Middleton Reply

May 20, 2016 at 4:14 pm

The building that isn’t there any more was Victoria Court, local authority residential flats for “retired gentlefolk”, off Hayden Place, Guildford, now the location of Waitrose’s car park.

The ‘phone boxes are on Tunsgate, behind the arch.
Brian Holt Reply

May 23, 2016 at 5:46 pm

The old North Place Day Centre in Haydon Place, now the site of Waitrose car park.

The two red telephone boxes are next to Tunsgate Arch, on the left going through the arch into Tunsgate.
Ray Springer Reply

May 25, 2016 at 10:29 am

North Place Centre, Haydon Place, now part of the Waitrose shopping area.

The telephone boxes are in Tunsgate at the back of the arch from the High Street.
Margaret Cole Reply

May 25, 2016 at 10:32 am

I believe this picture shows North Place community centre which is now Waitrose supermarket in Haydon Place, not an easy place to find.

The two phone boxes can be found in Tunsgate, you can just see the red-brick building behind.
Chris Townsend Reply

May 25, 2016 at 8:14 pm

The vintage picture shows North Place Day Centre, north of Beverley Hall, on the site of what is now part of Waitrose car park.

The landscaped gardens belonged to Victoria Court, which along with the centre was built on the north end of North Place after demolition of houses there, including Victoria Square.

The path shown led towards York Road and the underpass.

On the left in the photo are houses in Church Road; those on the right are on part of Stoke Fields now named Haydon Place.

The centre opened in 1980 and closed in 2010.

The telephone boxes are at the back of Tunsgate Arch. They are Grade II listed, of type K6 designed in 1935 by Sir Gilbert Scott.