Where Is This? No.52

Published on: 9 Apr, 2013
Updated on: 9 Apr, 2013

By David Rose

Readers’ opinions were somewhat divided over the location of last week’s mystery vintage photo, but those who recognised the Little Thatch restaurant as being in Meadrow, Farncombe, were correct.

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

The Little Thatch photo dates to about 1960, although I think it was still there up until at least the mid-1970s.

It is lsted in the 1974 edition of Kelly’s Directory of Guidford & Godalming, and was between Llanaway Road and Hare Lane, right next to Rayners (Buildings) Ltd.

In the 1930s and on into the 1940s it was owned by a Mr Hughes and wedding receptions were held there. From about the 1960s, up until it closed, it was run as a French restaurant by the Burnel family. They later retired to the south of France.

A regular customer at that time was the film actor Roger Moore.

A son of the Burnel’s, Jean-Jacques, is better known as the bass guitarist in the band the Stranglers. They were one of the new wave / punk bands of the late 1970s and first made it into the charts with their song Peaches, in the summer of 1977.

The band continues to perform to this day with Jean-Jacques at the helm.

The mystery sculpture is, of course, the Bargeman, who can be found beside the River Wey at the site of what was once Guildford’s town wharf. It must have been a busy place indeed when much of Guildford’s goods in and out were transported by water – all before the coming of the railways. But the Wey Barges were still in use up until about 1969.

Can you identify any buildings in this aerial view of Guildford from about the 1920s or 30s?

This week’s mystery vintage photo is an aerial view and I reckon it’s from about the 1920s or early 1930s. The church is a well known landmark, but what about the white building at the top of photo?

Can you pick out and name any other buildings? And which church is seen?

Seen these two before?

The mystery sculpture, as photographed by Peter Bullen, is where? And who are the two girls?

Interesting to note that for about the first time ever Bernard Parke was not first in with his reply last week – and he didn’t get the location of the Little Thatch right either. But he was spot on with the sculpture. Pipping him to the post was Norman Hamshere. Well done, it must have been a late night!

If you know the answers to this week’s, or have some comments to make, please leave a reply in the box below. All replies will be posted at about the same time next week, along with a new post with the answers to this week’s vintage photo and sculpture, and the next pair of images.

Responses to Where Is This? No.52

Brian Holt Reply

April 10, 2013 at 12:03 am

The road is the High Street. The church with trees around it is St Mary’s in Quarry Street.

The big building with white roof was the old Playhouse Cinema, behind it you can just see Guildford Castle and the Castle Grounds.
Peter Holt Reply

April 10, 2013 at 12:23 pm

The Church is St Mary’s the Virgin in Quarry Street.

I was born in Quarry Street and was baptised in St Mary’s on the 20th November 1949 by Canon R. G. Clitherow.

I think the white building at the top of photo is the old Playhouse Cinema. I remember going there about 1956 to see Davy Crockett!

As we are too posh for Green Sheild Stamps down here in Eastbourne may I have a bottle of sun cream instead?

Thank you from an ex Guildford boy.

[If you were baptised by Canon Clitherow does that make you a Clitherow Kid? Perhaps it’s the Green Shield stamps that are too posh for you! Ed]
Bernard Parke Reply

April 10, 2013 at 2:26 pm

1) The Playhouse Cinema

2) The statue is in Millmead opposite Hays Wharf. The occupant presented it to the people of Guildford. It is probably supposed to to Alice Liddle of Alice in Wonderland.
Ray Springer Reply

April 10, 2013 at 8:47 pm

The church in the centre of the picture is St Mary’s in Quarry Street.

The High Street is on the left of the picture and the large white building at the top is, I think, the Playhouse cinema. The castle is in the top right hand corner.

This weeks sculpture is by the river in Millmead and is part of Alice and the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland sculpted by Edwin Russell in 1984. I assume that one of the girls is Alice.
Brian Holt Reply

April 11, 2013 at 9:07 pm

The statue is Alice and her sister with the white rabbit which is not in the photo.
It is in Millmead on the grass area opposite Debenham’s store.
There is a plaque on brick wall about Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
David & Ann Bailey Reply

April 13, 2013 at 1:51 pm

The church in the picture is St Mary’s. The white building at the top of the
picture is the Playhouse Cinema.

The sculpture of the two girls is in Millmead. We think one of the girls could be Alice Liddell.
Carol Norris Reply

April 13, 2013 at 8:50 pm

Photo 2: Alice Liddell (Alice in Wonderland) and her sister on the riverbank in Millmead. The sculpture, by Edwin Russell, was unveiled by Guildford MP David Howell to mark the opening of Westbury House gardens (my family home until 1972) as public gardens.

Edwin was commissioned by Arundell Securities and my daughter, Tabitha and her friend Arabella, helped with the unveiling.
Chris Townsend Reply

April 15, 2013 at 8:14 am

The white building is the Playhouse, so the date must be later than 1920. Castle Street runs down to its right, with the Castle Grounds top right, and I can make out the corner with Chapel Street. The church is St. Mary’s,with the cottages of Mill Lane pictured below it, and Quarry Street running across the centre. At the foot of the photo is the junction of Friary Street and High Street. The existing Pearl Assurance Buildings, just below Quarry Street, are dated 1931, and not evident in this photo, limiting its date.

The bronze sculpture is Alice and the White Rabbit, by Edwin Russell, beside the river at Millmead. The photo shows Alice and her sister watching the rabbit (out of view) as in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll.
Rod Bennett Reply

April 15, 2013 at 12:13 pm

The mystery building on the right of the photograph of Guildford High St (No 52) is, I believe, an old theatre.

I vaguely remember as a child, in the early 60s, using what was the long arcade entrance to the theatre as a cut through to and from the High Street. I don’t remember the theatre being open or what is was called, but I do remember the ‘alleyway’ was very dilapidated.

Presumably this is now Tunsgate and the old theatre became Tunsgate Square, after it was a car park for ages.