Houghton Street was once a busy street connecting Williamson Square and Clayton Square. It is still there but one side is taken up by St John’s Market and the other by what were George Henry Lee’s and Owen Owens. This is an interesting colour photograph taken just before the buildings were demolished to make way for the new market. There is not a lot I can add to my previous comments about the destruction of this area. Even the landlords of St John’s appear to have thrown in the towel and have abandoned the complete refit indefinitely.
I can remember that when the precinct caught fire (in the 1980s – my memory fails me), architects gathered at their club in Bluecoat Chambers and toasted its demise. They celebrated too soon. Unfortunately the fire damage was repairable and the Market continued to trade. There are a few other buildings I would raise a glass to if they were to be consumed by fire (no casualties of course): the black glass buildings on Mann Island and St John’s Market topping the list.
Presumably that Golden Phoenix was CPO’d and had to relocate to Hanover Street.
Then a few decades later, it gets another CPO!!
There appears to be a pub in the middle of the block (see traditional hanging sign). I can’t quite make out the name, is it The Railway? Anyone know?
I completely agree with Colin’s sentiment about both St Johns Precinct and the Mann Island buildings.
Hi John, the pub was The Belmont (or so it says on the building).
Ah yes, your eyesight is better than mine. Thanks Colin.
I looked on my 1890 25″ OS Map. There was a PH (not named) there then, but also the first building on the left named (ARM??)Y STORES was also a PH then, and the one next to it was a hotel. Opposite them (where GH Lees big entrance was until recently) were 2 other PH’s. And another really big PH on the corner of Houghton St and Basnett St (where GH Lees Men’s Dept was).
If you imagine a (rough) triangle bounded by Whitechapel, St John’s Lane – Lime St and Church St – Ranelagh St. That’s very approximately 25 acres. Within that triangle, I counted 43 PH’s and 13 hotels! Obviously a lot catering for the various market traders within that area. One hell of a pub crawl.
Fascinating, John. TA. Pub Density has always intrigued me. I lived in Alcester, Warks, in the late 60s; a smallish town/village much older than nearby Stratford-u-Avon. Some Alcestrians claimed they enjoyed the highest number of PUBS per POPULATION. A hard stat to pin down, of course. And hard to compare with the PUBS per ACRE of your Boozy Triangle.
Alcester still has its Court Leet, mentioned as being already ancient in the Domesday Book! The Court Leet elections (open to all in the village, local or stranger, able to pass the 1-groat wealth test) vote in diverse citizen-’ombuds’ persons, including a Bread Weigher and Beer Taster. My son gained the latter envious job, allowing regular free pub crawls.