James Gray: View from Western Road. Additional Information: Street sellers. jgc_11_033
James Gray: Cambridge Road and Western Road in the 1870s. At this period all the west side of Cambridge Road had been built, but there were only two houses, Nos. 2 and 4 on the east side. No suggestion of the shops on the ground floors of the corner houses! St Patrick’s Church, erected in 1858, was originally dedicated to St James. jgc_11_054
2018: The two houses at the western junction of Cambridge Road and Western Road (to the left of Gray’s image) have been replaced by a large office block named Sheridan House. (Photographer: Annie Drynan)
James Gray: A clearer view of the church. jgc_11_034
2018: St Patrick’s Church is now a hostel providing housing and support to single homeless people. It stopped being a parish church in 2015. As at September 2018, the notice board outside the church is empty and there appears to be no religious use of the building. (Photographer: Annie Drynan)
James Gray: Following the dramatic collapse of the Mint Casino building in October 1973, this site remained empty and adjoining building shored up for many years. Various schemes were put forward and rejected before, in 1983, demolition of neighbouring buildings (but not St Patrick’s Church) was undertaken. This involved the removal of what had been two elegant houses in Cambridge Road, but later shops. These were often wrongly described as Regency Houses, but they were built between 1850 and 1855, and they are seen at their best in the 1870s views on other pages. Date of the photographs [jgc_11_035 and 036] 31 May 1982. In due time offices and possibly shops will be constructed on the site. A different view. jgc_11_036
2018: The two houses and adjoining site on Western Road have been replaced by Sheridan House, an office block. The tree visible in the 1982 image remains but the telephone kiosks have gone. Also remaining is St Patrick’s Church in Cambridge Road. The Mint Casino was destroyed by fire. (Photographer: Annie Drynan)
James Gray: See jgc_11_036 above. jgc_11_035
2019: The empty area in the original image is now the site of Sheridan House, an office block. The single-storey building at the left of the image (West) is still there, currently an estate agents. St Patrick’s Church cannot be seen from Western Road at this angle. (Photographer: Annie Drynan)