historic street on the site of Churchill Square
Comparison map: Historic streets alongside 2019 layout of Churchill Square
James Gray: As their names indicate, these two streets [Wellington Place and Blucher Place] were built shortly after the Battle of Waterloo, about 1820. Being close to the beach, they were the homes of generations of fishermen, two of which are seen at work in Wellington Place. In 1938, the whole of Wellington Place and almost all of Blucher Place was demolished to make an open space for a car park. jgc_29_100
2018: Wellington Place was a cul-de-sac running east to west, accessed from the northern section of Upper Russell Street. All these streets have since disappeared beneath the Churchill Centre. This photograph was taken from the modern service road now named Grenville Street, looking west along the approximate line of where Wellington Place once stood. (Photographer: Suzanne Hinton)
James Gray: When these photographs were taken in 1954 the old buildings seen here [see also jgc_29_153 on Upper Russell Street] were approaching the end of their long life. As the houses came down so the Russell Street car park was extended, but the end came in 1965 when the whole site was handed over to the developers of the West Street site. Upper Russell Street itself has completely vanished. jgc_29_152
James Gray: Washing Day in Wellington Place, period unknown but probably in the 1920s or 1930s. Many fishermen lived here owing to the nearness of the sea. Long since demolished. jgc_29_183