So many changes on a trip along Chichester's North Street
Browsing through the Record Office's collection of photographs of Chichester, it is fascinating to see what has changed and not changed in the past half-century or so.
We are fortunate to have a large number of lovely buildings that have survived for centuries, and if you look up at the upper storeys of the buildings as you walk down Chichester's main streets, you can recognise many of the buildings which appear in the old photographs.
But down at street level, often a lot has changed.
Take this week's selection of photographs, dated from 1940 to around 1960, which take you from what is now the Northgate car park, down North Street towards the Cross.
The photograph of Northgate shows it before the circulatory system was built.
The top of Orchard Street can just be seen on the left behind the building with the large advertisement for the garage which then stood opposite.
The garage building replaced the one shown with a white awning outside the shop.
Oaklands Park is hidden behind a flint wall and a screen of trees.
Many people will remember the fish and chip restaurant seen on the right of the picture, which closed in 1985.
But what about Colwell's, on the corner of North Walls? That building was replaced in 1961.
Moving on down North Street, the next photograph shows the street with two-way traffic and vehicles parked on both sides.
The sign on the left marks the Chichester School of Art, which was then in the upper storey over the Butter Market.
North of it, the edge of a buttress can be seen, which is all that is visible of St Olave's church.
On the opposite side of the road, Bastows the Chemists then occupied No 9, now Sussex Stationers, and the least-altered building in this stretch.
F W Woolworth and Co occupied the property next to Bastows.
Woolworth's features again, in an earlier photograph, when it was still the 3d and 6d Stores, and before it had expanded southwards.
The shop to the north of it belonged to Bartholomew's Corn Merchants, who also had premises at the top of Orchard Street.
And finally, Nos 3-4 North Street in 1959, when they housed Pat Austin's wool stores, and what had recently been Mrs H Rogers watchmakers.
This site is now occupied by a modern building.
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South west
