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ROADS AND STREETS

EAST STREET

Updated:  14 April 2011 

 
Location of East Street, Plymouth

East Street, Plymouth, ran westwards from Old Town Street to Cornwall Street, on the south side of Plymouth Market.  It no longer exists.

Origin of the name, East Street

The name has long been attributed to the point of the compass but exactly why is a mystery.  It is south of the Market, north of Bedford Street and west of Old Town Street.  Cornwall Street was of no great significance.  Perhaps the Corporation just had a bad day -- or maybe it is a personal name now long forgotten.

East Street, Plymouth.

 

History of East Street, Plymouth

The land upon which East Street was built was open ground in 1765 [1] and it was not listed in 1812  [2] but it is on John Cooke's map of Plymouth in 1820  [3] so it was probably built soon after the Market was opened.

East Street suffered badly during the Second World War but some of the buildings were brought back into use afterwards.  Market Buildings, at the entrance to the Meat Market, were demolished in January 1952 to make way for the eastwards expansion of New George Street and the new premises for Messrs John Yeo & Company.  The shops had recently been occupied by Messrs Fernley Wallis (Chemists) Ltd, Battershill's the newsagent and Swiss's toy shop.  [4]

Some Views of East Street, Plymouth

Photographs to follow.

 

A

B

   

Occupants of East Street, Plymouth

  • in 1852

  • in 1890

  • in 1935


Sources:

[1]  Donn, Benjamin, "A Map of the County of Devon 1765", facsimile, Devon and Cornwall Record Society and the University of Exeter, Exeter, 1965.

[2]  "The Picture of Plymouth", Rees and Curtis, Plymouth, 1812.

[3]  "Plan of the Towns and Harbour of Plymouth, Stonehouse, Dock, Morice-Town, Stoke and Environs in the County of Devon", John Cooke, Stonehouse, Plymouth, 1820.

[4]  "Another of Old Plymouth Links is Broken", Western Evening Herald, Plymouth, January 5th 1952.

©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth, UK

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