Little Palace Yard

Weather is cold but very little snow where we are, seems bad North and South of Perth. Alan H

I had a wander through the Memorial Park this afternoon and found the ornate lion tablet from the arbour mentioned earlier in this thread. I'm still not quite sure whereabouts Little Palace Yard was though? I know Palace Yard as it was/is is almost lost hidden behind council offices on Jordan Well but what about 'Little'? And does anyone know where the arbour actually stood?

As far as I know the edge LPY was to the left of where the police car park now is (if you stand on LPS facing the car park). No idea where within its boundary the arbour was.

The arbour was at the far end of the gardens but as the LPY was at a diagonal to Little Park Street the Arbour was on a line from the house on the south corner house of Cow Lane (Salt Street). It was also in line with the east side of St Mary's Street. If you draw a line from both, you'd be in the north east corner of the Magistrates Court building 60. The LPY gardens formed a near backwards L shape with the Palace Yard gardens, that were a timber yard by 1850, but didn't quite meet up.

Thanks Helen - I think I need one of Dutchmans maps.

Just a quick mention to coventry49 - are we related as I've been looking in to this topic as the Yardleys you mentioned (about a year ago?!) are related to me!

To continue my interest in this one - do we know what the ornate arbour actually was? Seems a very grand entrance if was just to a yard or gardens?

Hi Neil. As far as I can tell the arbour was just a garden feature at the far wall of the property. Much like we'd put a focal point in now. It backed onto the boundary wall with the properties on Much Park Street. It was dated 1701 and there seems to have been other stone objects round the garden (search for 'Little Palace' in the images). To my eye the arbour looks gothic but doesn't look English somehow. The statues appear more Indian to me. They include a very armoured rhino and a tiger that points that way. The arbour may have been commissioned or may be some architectural reclaimed feature from a church.

Thanks Helen I never thought to use that image search which has revealed some terrific photos I'd not seen before. As per the thread I've a real interest in this one as one of my grandfather's brothers lived in the Yard - presumably not too long before it was lost. Since finding this out I always feel compelled to touch the stone remains of the arbour as I now live right next to the Memorial Park! Agreed I find it very unusual with the animal carvings - at that place and at that time.

There are a few images from Britain From above in the post war section. The easiest way to find them is to search Coventry, put in date order and jump to the end and work back. After the bombing it was easier to see into that area and the photography was better.

Yes Helen - I've seen this one from 1946 which is a great view of the area but still difficult to determine the Yard location. The arbour would have been present in that shot - any idea where?