Lancaster Road, Nottidge Road, Charles Court
Lancaster Road: a sign screwed over the original paint
on brick . The 'L'
and 'AD' can be seen at each
end, with the tops of the capitals
appearing
over the top edge of the metal sign. Not far away, and even more
mysterious,
are the traces of lettering on the wall of the building at the corner
of
Nottidge Road and Alexandra Road.
Here the words 'NOTTIDGE ROAD'
and 'NOTTIDGE RD' are still
traceable in
two previous painted
versions, the first part removed/obliterated by new brickwork and a
plastic
downpipe. The building carried an extension which formed a grocery shop
until about twenty years ago (there was a tiny hidden Tolly Cobbold
off-licence
behind it in Alexandra Road which was open in the evenings). For some
years
it was a yacht chandlery - some years before the Wet Dock was developed
as a marina - and has now been converted into flats, the way of so many
of our corner shops.
(photos courtesy Dave
Riseborough)
Above: 'CHAR[?]..S CT'
a street name painted on the brickwork of a wall at the
end
of the stub of Union Street (off Upper Orwell Street). Dave Riseborough
writes: 'On old maps I looked at on the internet it looks as though
there was a court there, but it is not named on the maps). It is
located up Union Street, off Upper Orwell Street. Towards the end, on
the left, there is an old building (I seem to remember reading
somewhere that this is an example of the old slum buildings that were
there and which was left after the slum clearances, but I can't be
sure) the sign is on the rear of this building...'
Certainly there is no name (not even Union Street)
on the map of Ipswich by Edmund White, 1867. The two streets crossing
at right-angles between Upper Orwell Street and Cox Lane are named
Barclay St and Office St. However, an Ordnance Survey (scale 1/1250)
map of 1883 given to us by Hilary Platts some years ago shows all the
names in this rabbit warren of the poorest Victorian housing in the
centre of the town. This clearly shows on the north side of Union
Street Well Court and directly opposite: Charles Court. Thanks to Dave
Riseborough for bringing this hidden corner of historic lettering to
our attention.
See also Upper Orwell
Court, just down the road for this and other metal street name
signs.
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Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
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