Summary of Directories

Some of the directories in the rest of this website are in name order rather than house order. I have summarised the entries here by house number, so Gwydir Street residents can see who has lived in their house.

Gwydir Street (numbered)

The people in the 1879 directory have ? in front of their names, unless they are in a pub. This is because the entries were either un-numbered or were in the old street numbering. I have provisionally placed them if they were in that house in subsequent years. However, there is evidence in later years that some people changed house while staying in the same street, so this might have happened for the 1879 people as well.

Most of the houses in the street are terrace, fronting straight onto the street, as you can see from these photos. They mostly have three windows at the front (2 on the first floor and 1 by the front door), although some only have 1 on the first floor. The smallest houses are only 12 feet wide, although the first floor may be larger than the ground if it goes over the passageway or 'entry'. The odd numbers from 137 to 177, and the even numbers from 144 to 192, have small front gardens. This is the 'posh' end of Gwydir Street! There are a few lower numbers with front garden or set back slightly from the road. There are no detached houses, and the semi-detached are either end terrace, or have a yard entrance to one side. The are few bigger houses - nos. 22, 45, 85, 103 (existing or former pubs), 52 (double fronted with 5 front windows) and 144 (7 windows).

At present, there is a gap between 12 and 22, where the Beaconsfield club used to be (now Beaconsfield House), and between 21 and 27 (entrance to small workshops - old Pye site). No. 62 is missing (entrance to new housing). The even numbers end at 192, as they always have. There are no numbered residential houses beyond 177, just the Dales brewery site and some antique shops. In the directories, there is some confusion as to which house number Dales Brewey has, if any.

One thing that strikes anyone who knows the current Gwydir Street is: Where is the Cambridge Blue (formerly as the Dewdrop Inn)? It is at 85, Gwydir Street, and is a double-fronted building. The Strange family live (intermittently) at no 87, which is where the current landlord of the Cambridge Blue lives, and they are described as beer retailers. In 1913 Richard Sutcliffe is described as being publican of the Dewdrop Inn at 87, which can't be right as it is so small. Robert Alderson, a plasterer, is the only inhabitant of 85. Perhaps he lived in a flat above the pub. I have a pub map, undated but persumed to be about 1930's, which does mention the Dewdrop Inn. It also mentioned the Brewer's Arms and Gwydir Arms, mentioned in the directories but no longer existing, and the Alexandra Arms which has survived from the first directory to the present day.

There are some mobile people. Bernard Webb, a stationer, seemed to move from 39 to 38 (which is across the road). Sidney Strange, a beer retailer, seemed to depart the family home at 87 to set up selling beer at 79 for a bit, but then returned to 87. The Pamphilon family started at 57, moved to 55, then to 59. The 1881 Census shows that James Pamphilan and family lived at 55 Gwydir Street, and Ned Pamphilon and family lived at 40 Gwydir Street (Hope Cottage), so perhaps it was just the business address which was in the directories. John Kent, slater, moved from 79 to 167, a bigger house, so perhaps this showed his business was thriving. The Butler Brothers (grocers) moved from 138 to 144, again, a much larger house. But of course these may be errors in one of the directories! Alfred Good at 67 expanded to 65 as well. There are other doubled shops, the Beasleys (painters) are at 153 and 155, Charles Brown (hardware stores) at 62 and 64.

Gwydir Street (unnumbered or old numbering)

Gwydir Cottages

Upper Gwydir Street

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