Ellen Street

James Gray: The north side of Ellen Street intact from Goldstone Street to Ethel Street though redevelopment had started on the south side. Date – 28 April 1968.   jgc_14_080

2018: All the houses on the north side of Ellen Street have gone. In their place stands an industrial unit (currently occupied by Essential Hygiene and Catering Supplies Ltd) with vehicular access from Ellen Street.

James Gray: Ellen Street School, in 1973. Opened on 13 October 1879, it was closed in 1974 when the new school in Elm Drive was opened, and was demolished in 1975. jgc_14_087

2018: Ellen Street School has gone, finally closed in July 1974. Between 1958 and 1974, it was called Goldstone Junior School.

James Gray: The empty site in 1968, after the clearance of all these old houses as part of the Conway Street Redevelopment Scheme. Compare this with [other photographs of the same site on the Conway Place page]. Note Ellen Street School then still standing. jgc_14_094

2018: Clarendon House and Ellen House flats can be seen in both images. The wall on the right-hand side of both pictures is the corner of Honeycroft Nursery, a registered charity which has given access to low-cost care for local children for many years. Goldstone House, flats on Clarendon Road obscured in the James Gray image, can be seen in the distance here.

James Gray: Walking eastwards along Ellen Street one came first to Albert Street and then Ellen Place. Two short streets connecting Ellen Street with Conway Street it is hard to think of a reason why they were built unless to provide shops on each corner site. Built about 1880 they were mostly removed in 1966/67 and the site will soon be redeveloped as Stage 2. jgc_14_099

James Gray: Despite what is written on the back of this photograph, this sepia one shows the general shop of G Younger, about 1916. One cannot be more precise. All the buildings seen have since been demolished and the large block of flats known as Ellen House now covers the site.  jgc_14_101

2018: The shop on the south-east corner of Albert Street where it meets Ellen Street has gone, as has the whole of Albert Street. Very near where the shop stood is now a building with a domed roof housing thirteen companies, The Agora.

James Gray: This and the previous photograph [see jgc_14_107 0n the Goldstone Street page] looks from Goldstone Street towards Goldstone Villas showing the rear of the houses in Ellen Street and Clarendon Road. The gardens between seem surprisingly large for this district. Date of all photographs – 29 October 1967.  jgc_14_108

James Gray: Photograph taken on 2 March 1969, when the project had been developed for a few years. The view is from the corner of Ellen Place looking to Ellen Street and Clarendon Road, showing the completed flats, Ellen House and Goldstone House.  jgc_14_110

2018: Ellen Place has gone, as have all the houses in the foreground of the original image.

James Gray: A photograph taken in January 1970. In the view taken from near Goldstone Street can be seen the start of the factory building, now know as Industrial House. Ellen Street School, now rapidly approaching its centenary, still stands three years after the date of the photograph. jgc_14_112

James Gray: A photograph taken by E W Holden of Hove on 23 July 1969. Most of these old buildings, with the exception of those on the north side of Conway Street, will be swept away as this project is completed. jgc_14_118

2018: The houses on the north side of Ellen Street have gone.

James Gray: One of the last links with old Conway Street and Ellen Street. With the clearance of the surrounding houses this old building was fully revealed to the public gaze for the first time. In its life of nearly 100 years it had been put to a variety of uses: motor engineers workshop, firewood dealers store, builders store and during the 1914-1918 War, as St Barnabas Institute.

James Gray: Ellen Street, showing the School built in the 1870s. Stage 1 cleared all the houses up to the School and opposite as far as No.110.  jgc_14_097

2019: Ellen Street School on the left of the original photo has gone as have all the houses. On the site of the school stands a commercial building housing Custom Pharma Services.