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FROM BOTTOM OF TOWN TO TOP OF TOWN
THE ONLINE EXHIBITION

    This exhibition takes a look at the changes Bath Street has seen over the past 120 years and has been produced by the Society in conjunction with the Erewash Museum Service and Ilkeston Library. Recently the exhibition has been on display at the Erewash Museum and Shipley Park Visitor Centre and currently at Ilkeston Library until the end of September.
    It now has been placed on the website to allow those unable to visit the exhibition to enjoy and compare the images of yesteryear with those of today.
Photographs by kind permission of Erewash Museum and Ilkeston Library.
2006 colour photography by Stephen Flinders
Dialogue by Alan Edwards.

   The buildings today are little changed from those in this early 1900s scene. The ornate gas lamps on the Trimmings Shop to the left disappeared when the shop later became Newmans pots and pans shop. The side of Bath Street to the right of this photo is known to this day as Broad Pavement.

   This shop at the corner of Bath Street and Manners Road sold women's and children's clothes. The lady in the doorway is Miss Annie Dampier who jointly ran the business with her mother Anna Maria Dampier. Trading began in the 1920s and continued until the late 1960s.

   The tailors Montague Burton opened in this store in August 1927. It had previously been occupied by Whitehead and Co. tailors and hatters. The traditional Burton look had vanished by the time of this photo taken in the late 1960s.

   Another late 60s scene when Boots, Benefit, Wigfalls, Trueform and Hiltons occupied this part of Bath Street.

   This picture was taken just before the trams came to the town in 1902/3. The buildings had been built within the last ten years and all remain today. There are only two gas street lights for the whole of this part of Bath Street. Just visible in the centre foreground is a group of dapper gentlemen standing outside Hudson's tailors shop.

   Melias shop at this time stood on the upper corner of Northgate Street and Bath Street. Though difficult to see in this picture, it is interesting to compare these 1920s food prices with those of today. Butter at one shilling and nine pence a pound,

   This shop, next to the Poplar Inn public house, is believed to have been built in the 1950s for Robinson's fishmongers and poulterers. It is possible that this is a Christmas scene judging by the number of birds for sale. The lady is seen pushing a Silver Cross pram. The present building is earmarked for conversion into a public bar.

   An Edwardian scene, clearly showing the central tram track and a distant tram. The standards carrying the overhead lines are on the west side of Bath Street but above Station Road they were situated on the opposite side of the road.

   The Brunswick Hotel standing on the lower corner of Wilton Place with Bath Street, was built around 1860 and in its early years was the town's leading hotel after The Rutland. By 1910, it was owned by Strettons Brewery (Derby) and this photo shows it in the early 1960s when the hotel and the site had been bought by Tesco.

   Wooliscroft's stood on the opposite corner to The Brunswick Hotel and was of a similar style of design. The store sold ladies clothes and was regarded as a "posh shop". It was replaced by Woolworths.

   Another Edwardian photo showing tramcar no.1 wending its way up Bath Street. The overhead line standards have elaborate ornate tops and the one nearest the camera carries an advertisement for Mrs Bull, a live paper for women. Fletcher as well as being a wine merchant was a chemists. Even today, the upper storey windows still bear the shadowy lettering of its former owner. Woods on the opposite side of the street was also a chemists. Though a busy scene, the 'toffs' on the right still have time for a chat.

   The lack of overhead wires show that this is Bath Street after the eras of both trams and trolley buses. Redevelopment has yet to take place on the upper side of Station Road. Just below Marks and Spencers single storey false shop front stood Glover's butchers, Preedeys and Gunn's newspaper shop. Opposite stood Donson's bakery and shop. Providence Place, just below the New Inn on the left of the picture, was also known as Donson's jitty.

   Mrs Lee and daughter and Miss Emily Rowland, age 13, outside the newspaper and fish and chip shop on the corner of Providence Place and Bath Street. The shop became part of the New Inn when it was redeveloped in the Arts and Crafts Style by local architect Harry Tatham Sudbury in 1904.

   The properties above Station Road had been redeveloped by September 1988. They were set back to allow for possible future widening of Bath Street and the false front to Marks and Spencers was removed.

   A photo taken in 1794 at the junction of Wilton Street and Bath Street. On the opposite side of Bath Street both corner of Chapel Street have changed and Currys is in the process of refurbishment.

   Burton the grocers were the first occupiers of the new supermarket built at the corner of Chapel Street in the early 1960s and this photo shows the crowds which the Pekoe Chimps, who opened the shop, attracted. Though not visible in this photograph, the prices in the window announce Nescafe coffee at two shillings three pence, peaches at two shillings and six pence a tin and a packet of PG Tips at one shilling five pence. The bus is the Midland General A2, which ran between Cotmanhay and Hallam Fields. An antiquated road sign can just be seen to its left.

   A rainy but busy day in Ilkeston 1957. The Queens Head public house (to the right of the bus) once stood just below Farrands. It was part of the block knocked down to make way for Burton's supermarket. In the 1940s, it was run by a Mr and Mrs Grainger. A much earlier land lady was named Fanny Briggs.

   Farrands and Currys in the last picture were in the early part of the 20th century, Smith Bros. shoe, drappery, clothing and furniture store. Reminiscent of the Trimming Shop in the first photograph on this page, it too had splendid gas lights illuminating the pavement and shop windows.

   This late Edwardian shot clearly illustrates why the trams ran up the middle of the road! Horse drawn carriages were still the main form of commercial transport. Hurricane lamp oil is being delivered to Andrews the ironmongers. Interestingly, the pavements have been flagged. The ornate tram standard is extremely high being surmounted by a street lamp.

   Andrew's ironmongers dressed for the celebrations to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. Proprietor George Andrew can be seen standing in the doorway and can be justifiably proud of the splendid array of tools which they sold. The same site today is occupied by the Ilkeston branch of the Derbyshire Building Society.

   1953 and Andrews is still trading. Beyond is the National Provincial Bank and above that is the entrance to Albion Place. Opposite is Fifty Shilling Tailors and P Clarke, a ladies clothes shop. The overhead electric cables indicate that trolley buses were still running in the town and parking was still allowed.

   An early photograph of G H Broughton's jewellers, clock and watch repairer. The decorative ironwork is noteworthy over the window and the clock within.

    Bath Street probably dressed out for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary on 25th June 1914. The old cottages to the right were demolished to make way for the Kings Picture House. The front of the National Provincial Bank with its imposing pediment can also be seen. The spire of the Wesleyan Methodist Church is also just visible to the left of centre.

    In this 1930s scene, the dome of the Globe Cinema is clearly visible. It was built in 1915 but closed in April 1923. Subsequently bought by F.W. Woolworth & Co. it was their first store in the town. The Kings Picture House (decorated with flags) on the opposite side of the street had a faience-clad facade and was built in 1915 to a design by Harry Tatham Sudbury. It was modernised around the same time this photograph was taken.

   Ben Cope's carrier business was established in 1862 and is still operating today, though with a much more modern form of transport. One of his wagons can be seen parked up on the right of the picture. The Wesleyan Methodist Church spire (it was green in colour) is just visible in the middle distance this photograph.

   Taken about 1900, the Wesleyan Methodist Church would be newly built. Though difficult to see in the photo on the left, there stood the British School which went on to become the town's first free library and reading room. By this date the pavements on this part of Bath Street were flagged.

   Taken about 1903 the photo shows the Harrow Inn in the lower foreground, the Borough Arms at lower right, Carrier's factory upper right and the houses of Club Row at centre left. The spire of the Wesleyan Methodist Church can clearly be seen just left of top centre.