Updated:  15 September 2011

If you find it difficult to believe that the street numbering in George Street, Plymouth, was so bad then take heed of this article from "The Talk of the City", published in the Western Evening Herald in 1935:

George-Street Maze

To a postman making his first delivery George-street, Plymouth, one of the busiest and most important business centres in the city, must be a perfect nightmare.  As an instance of crazy numbering it would be well nigh impossible to beat.  There are premises a hundred yards apart bearing the same number; there are business houses on opposite sides of the street bearing the same number; and, while the numbering in the Post Office Directory ranges from one to seventy-two, there are frequent gaps in the sequence.

The gaps are doubtless due to many premises having "dropped out" of individual control and being "taken in" by adjoining properties.

Nevertheless the whole thing cries out for some semblance of order being attempted.

Pity the Postman

 The most glaring instances are that:-

Messrs Ellery and Company on one side and the Princess Motors on the other are both No. 16;

Messrs Snell and Company and Messrs Thomas Cooks on one side and Messrs Page, Keen and Page on the other are both No. 17;

Messrs Boots on one side and Messrs Wakeling on the other are both No. 18;

Messrs Pengelly, tobacconists, near the tram stop, and Messrs Nicholson, wine and spirit merchants, half-way up George-street on the same side, are both No. 49.

Pity the postman.

---

Source:

"The Talk of the City: George-Street Maze", Western Evening Herald, Plymouth, February 2nd 1935.