Where is This? No.262

Published on: 2 Jun, 2017
Updated on: 2 Jun, 2017

By David Rose

A parade of shops on the Epsom Road at Merrow was featured as last week’s mystery vintage photo – and those there now are quite different.

The quirky picture of a pillar box can be found by the parade of shops in Burpham beside the London Road. It is unusual in that it has the cipher of Edward VIII on it, and therefore a very rare example.

Thanks to all those who replied and gave lots of extra details – click here to see last week’s post and those replies.

Do you recognise this shop in Guildford High Street? Picture from the collection last the Guildford Institute.

This week’s vintage picture has some age and shows a shop in Guildford High Street when it was occupied by a firm called Busby & Baxter. There looks to be a display of medals in the window. There is a passageway to the right. Does it look familiar? What’s there now?

Where is this dark green door?

This week’s quirky picture is a nicely painted door on a restored building not too far from the town centre. If this door could speak it would have some tales to tell of the many people who once passed through it.

Do you know where it is, and can you add any details?

If you think you know the answers and can add some extra details, please leave a reply in the box below.

The answers, along with the next pair of images, will be published at about the same time next week.

Responses to Where is This? No.262

Dave Middleton Reply

June 2, 2017 at 12:55 pm

I’m not sure, but I’m going to take a punt that the street scene is a shop that no longer exists at the High Street end of Jeffries Passage, with Jeffries Passage running away down to the right of the shop.

The green door, or more properly green gate, is in the wall of the old St Luke’s Hospital complex, on Warren Road, at the rear of The Spike.

Busby & Baxter apparently dissolved their partnership in 1866 according to this London Gazette entry. About half way down in the left-hand column of the linked page: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23170/page/5350/data.pdf
John Lomas Reply

June 2, 2017 at 3:30 pm

The passage way is Swan Lane and the bay window and “barrel”-shaped bay are still visible on a High Street 360 view (Google Earth).

Another couple of photos suggest to me that this is still a goldsmiths/jewellers which is also utilising the other half of the building which has a draper’s sign just above the boy’s head.

Not sure about the quirky pic, though at a guess it is some sort of public building, but, why didn’t they replace/repair the left-hand post when they painted the door?
Brian Holt Reply

June 2, 2017 at 7:29 pm

Picture 1. Busby & Baxter High Street was on the corner of Swan Lane, it was set up in 1840s and the picture dates about 1860s.

They are not medals in the shop window because they were watchmakers and jewellers.

It was also Guildford’s first post office, the firm was taken over in 1870 by R Salisbury, a Worcestershire man.

Today the shop is owned by Ernest Jones the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths.

Picture 2. The dark green door is in the wall of The Spike, Warren Road, just pass where the cars go in.
John Thorp Reply

June 2, 2017 at 10:13 pm

I think that the picture of the building in the High Street shows what is now the jewellers on the corner of Swan Lane.

The bow on the first floor with the window is the clue.

I remember seeing a drawing of the whole building with the bow in the centre.

What you can see of Swan Lane looks completely different. I am intrigued by the tall building in the background on the right.
Simon Nelson Reply

June 5, 2017 at 4:40 pm

The vintage photo of the shop front is now Goldsmiths Jewellers in the High Street. The passage on the right is Swan Lane.

The quirky photo is the entrance through the wall that runs up Warren Road into what is now The Spike Heritage Centre, which was the Guildford Union Workhouse, built in 1838.
Bill and Doug Stanniforth Reply

June 6, 2017 at 4:59 pm

Pic 1 is the corner of Swan Lane, the shop used to be Salsbury’s.

We’re not sure about the green door as Frankie Vaughan or Shaking Stephens wouldn’t tell us!
Judy Oliver Reply

June 6, 2017 at 8:12 pm

The shop is now Ernest Jones, previously Salisbury’s jewellers for many years, with Swan Lane going down the side towards North Street.
Margaret Cole Reply

June 7, 2017 at 9:03 am

The shop Busby & Baxter must be going back some as I only remember it as Salsbury’s the Jewellers about 1970 at the High Street end with Swan Lane going down on the right.

I think the Swan pub used to be in the vivinity.

The black door is the entrance to The Spike in Warren Road where the down and outs would queue for a room each morning.
Chris Townsend Reply

June 8, 2017 at 8:40 pm

Busby & Baxter’s shop, at what used to be numbered 56, was on the lower corner of Swan Lane, more familiar to me when occupied by Salsbury’s the jeweller’s, until a few years ago.

Busby is already at number 56 by 1851, and the business of Busby & Baxter is listed as a watchmakers in an 1855 Kelly’s directory.

The two men were in partnership until 1866.

In 1870, Robert Salsbury came from Upton-upon-Severn and took over the business from William John Busby as watch and clock maker and jeweller. Salsbury was twice made Mayor of Guildford.

I wonder if the “medals” could be pocket watches with fobs?

The green door on Warren Road belongs to “The Spike”.

A couple of years ago I visited and was made most welcome by a volunteer who knew about homelessness. He showed me the buildings of the old Vagrants’ Casual Ward (1906-1962) of the Workhouse, where “tramps” were provided with bed and board overnight, in return for chopping wood, picking oakum, or breaking a quantity of stone into pieces small enough to fit through a grille.

After my tour of the rooms and exhibition, I watched a film, with tea and a biscuit. Well worth a visit. More info’ here: http://www.charlotteville.co.uk/hindex.html which also refers to Helen Chapman Davies’ excellent book on the subject.