Plymouth, Bedford Street

PLYMOUTH
DATA

The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History

PLYMOUTH ROADS AND STREETS

Bedford_Street.gif (3785 bytes)

LM-Bedford Street 480.jpg (25527 bytes)

Location

Bedford Street no longer exists in Plymouth. It ran from the southern end of Old Town Street, outside St Andrew's Church, to the junction of Frankfort Street, Russell Street and Cornwall Street.

Bedford Street was destroyed in the Second World War and is now remembered only in Bedford Way, which runs from Royal Parade to New George Street, roughly on the line of the old Market Alley, which later became the Bedford Arcade.

Bedford Street, Plymouth, looking west.

Bedford Street, looking west to the Prudential Building.
Note John Yeo's, the Devon & Cornwall Bank and the
Borough Coffee Tavern on the right (north) side.

Principal buildings

The principal buildings on the south side of Bedford Street in 1890 were:

the Bedford Hotel; the Young Men's Christian Association; the Globe Hotel;

and on the north side:

the Borough Arms Coffee Tavern; and the Devon & Cornwall Bank.

In 1903 the Globe Hotel was replaced by the Prudential Building, which is seen in the photographs on this page.

Bateman's, the opticians, seen in the photgraph below, is on the site of Plymouth's other and less famous "Island House".

Bedford Street, Plymouth, and the Municipal Offices, looking west towards the Prudential Building.

Looking from Old Town Street westwards towards the
Guildhall (left), Municipal Office, Basket Street, and
on the extreme right, Bedford Street.

Principal businesses

Bedford Street was also a main shopping thoroughfare. The principal businesses on the south side in 1890 were:

George Sercombe, victualler, Bedford Hotel; Henry Matthews, confectioner and baker; William Henry Luke, printer; H J Steadman & Company, boots and shoes; the Three Towns Dairy (William Coryton); Parkhouse & Sons, house furnishers; James Hawker & Company, wine and spirit merchants; McBryde Brothers, outfitters; Henry Maynard, saddler; and Charles Watts, victualler, Globe Hotel;

and on the north side (returning from the Globe Hotel):

William James Vickery, outfitter; Dingle & Company, drapers; Underwood & Company, tea merchants; John Yeo, draper; Popham, Radford & Company, drapers; Pearse & Son, tailors; William Woods & Son, pharmaceutical chemist; George Sellick, bookseller; Robert Coralas Bazley & Company, bookseller; and Spooner & Company, drapers, on the corner with Old Town Street.

Bedford Street, Plymouth, looking west to Prudential Building.

Bedford Street looking west into Frankfort Street. The
Borough House Coffee Tavern building is on the extreme right.

Bedford Street, Plymouth, looking east.

A ground level view of Bedford Street, looking east
towards Old Town Street. The cart (right) is on the
corner with George Street.

Bedford Street, Plymouth, looking east from the Prudential Building.

Bedford Street looking eastwards from the Prudential
Building. Note Dingle's premises on the left. Westwell Street
curves off to the right-hand side.