Whitefriars Street (inc. Whitefriars Lane)

Hi Pauline, Thanks for replying to me post. It is lovely to trawl through this site - I finding it very interesting and I will post photos when I have time. Going back to the bomb crater, I recall a few of 'our gang' made a bit of a den out of it. I saw another post and photo of the shop at the top of the street and seem to recall that a lady called Mrs McCutcheon ran it. I still have much contact with the street as I bought mum and dad's old house (56) and next door and now rent them to students so my memories of those times are rekindled every time I go in them (usually to clean them!) I lived in Whitefriars Street until I got married. Do you remember the dancing school in the Gaumont?

Yes Gina, I do remember the den we all made, you went down the slope and over the bombed building to where all the bushes were if my memory serves me right. I don't remember the dance school but it might come back to me when I'm visiting Cov and Maureen will jog my memory.

A very nice series of images baffled54, thanks for posting them. The picture above is where Whitefriars Lane came out onto Gosford Street. Just to the right of the image was the building that is now the Whitefriars Olde Ale House.

Jay Williams

Not the street but the lane as there is no dedicated thread for that. New one to me. Edited by Midland Red, 28th Aug 2019 3:06 pm (Thread title amended to include Whitefriars Lane. Use the search box to find other postings about Whitefriars Lane in various other threads.)

Ahhh, interesting In my recent Archive dig, I came across photos of the same area but they didn't have a label. It's almost as useful to me to identify stuff that's not relevant as stuff that is.

My wife lived in Whitefriars St until 1954 in her gran's house (Flo Courtier) along with her mum and dad (Joan & John Myles). Not sure which way round it was, either No 48 or 66 until they got bombed and their front door landed on M&S counter. I think Walter Brandish owned the house or houses. My wife went to St Michael's until they moved to Henley Green. Mancinis owned Victors. Gran Flo and the Mancinis were good friends and went on holidays together, often taking my wife with them. The Higget family owned the sweet factory from which my wife got some of the left overs. On the Gaumont dome, Ernie and Eric Courtier, after climbing up there, wrote their names. I am led to believe Colledge's was the local butcher, not sure if he was in Whitefriars St or Much Park St, think his wife was headteacher at St Michael's.

As you mentioned them lolipop - was this Whitefriars or Much Park? I suspect Much Park Street as the Planning Office tower looks too close for Whitefriars.

Great picture Neil and your guess is right, it's the west side of Much Park Street. It's the building on the left in this photo curtesy of Covjb35. In yours, you can just see the side of the Greyhound.

Thanks (again!) Helen - actually this might be the same building as well in colour in 1967. Mods move to MPS thread if desired.

BTW is Covjb35 still on here? Not posted for a long time - his photo collections were brilliant! Hope he is ok.

No, thank you! That first photo shows me clearly that it was probably a timber building that is concerted [spelling mistake - converted] from a jettied building to a flat fronted one with the front pulled out rather than chopped off. Drawing the roofline down to the Georgianised front and the deep inset doorway are all clues that aren't apparent in the distant shot.

That's why you are our expert in these things, Helen. I even had to google 'concerted'!

Nah, 'concerted' should have read 'converted'. Spelling is not my thing at all!