Queen Victoria Road (inc Drill Hall)

Thanks Neil, yes that makes it very clear. The house with the street name would be number 54 on the corner opposite. If that is 1901 my great grandmother would have had her son William there with his two children, William aged 9 and Elizabeth Alice aged 7, so they could well be in the picture. (I could not understand where William's wife was until I later found her in Hatton). Sadly William died at Passchendaele in 1917, three days after his sister had died at home.

I agree with the others. The photographer of Prof's photo was standing in Rudge Road looking north and the end house on the left is 54. You can also just see the edge of one of Rotherhams' chimneys at the extreme top right of the photo. My grandparents moved out in 1901, probably as a result of the flooding.

No.54 would be inside the Skydome today - on the ice!

Here's an image link from Britain from Above, and a couple of screen captures. So, that is Queen Victoria Road at the top of the first image with the Sherbourne clearly visible, and as Helen says "I can see why it flooded"

The corner shop you can see (more visible in the lower 'zoomed' photo) was run by the sometime 'notorious' Bowman family. Mrs Bowman used an abacus to calculate, which was on the counter!

A little later than the Yardleys and no relation!! In August 1964 the police turned up at Mrs Bowman's house at 15 Starley Road searching for Charles Frederick Wilson, an escaped great train robber. They also searched a caravan outside, Mrs Bowman's shop at 43 Croft Road and 12 Starley Road, where Mrs Bowman's daughter lived and also number 12 the home of Mrs Bowman's son John who was serving 2 years in Winson Green. Mrs Bowman thought that was why they showed an interest in the houses. She laughed about it and said, "As if he would turn up here!!"

Charlie Wilson escaped to Canada if I recall, was later captured, served some time, and was eventually shot dead in Spain about 1990! I also believe one of the Bowman sons changed his surname to Davey? I believe he was found dead in LPS police cells.. On a lighter note.....!

I recently posted in "West Orchard" that the Rover moved to Queen Victoria Road and established the new Meteor Works in the now-Iceland supermarket premises. However, looking at Helen's photo's of the Meter Works and this map, I found it doesn't seem likely, as it appears the main building is much further back away from QVR. Yet I seem to recall on this site somewhere that it was mentioned that it was the factory. There's a row of 2 up 2 down terraced houses which line QVR in front of the factory. The 2nd photo shows the back gardens which were on either side of the main entrance so everything lines up. Surely QVR hasn't been moved over with modern planning.

This might help, moriarty

Ooooh that was quick, NY. National Lib. of Scotland, really good. Yes I see now, doesn't look anywhere near that supermarket - more at the end of the arcade and round market. Thanks again, I will use NLoS again.

That's a great tool, although only that map is of any use.

Thanks to my friend Dean Nelson on FB - a rather sad image knowing where they were going off to.

Photographs taken on 31st December 1987.

I remember that well OddSock, I was working round the corner at the GEC at that time. Didn't last long, that building, did it?

Hi Rob, No, it didn't. I don't know why, but I went into town on the last day of 1987 and took a variety of photographs of the city centre? I've just come across them - some showing the Co-op building, one of Broadgate (with grass!!), a few of Sky Blue Way under construction, and even the old, concrete West Orchards car park! It's funny what you snap! OddSock