Our previous blog described how during the 1890s houses at the end of Friar Street were demolished along with one house from the adjoining New Street. This was to make way for an extension to Charles Street. Effectively it created the cross-roads with New Street, Pump Street and Friar Street we have today.
The house lost from New Street, number 1, has since been replaced with the building known as Phoenix House. A fine example of Victorian brickwork, it spans the corner of New Street and Charles street. As with the lost Friar Street houses no complete image of the lost New Street house has been located. This is the next best thing. New Street circa 1880 as seen from the corner of Pump Street and Friar Street – presumably somewhere near the Eagle Vaults public house.
Just on the right-hand edge of the photograph you can see the windows and part of the wall of number 1. However, it looks like quite a sturdy house, such a shame that is all that can be seen.
The adjacent shop bears the sign Harding’s Beds. Also, a few doors further down Nash’s House stands proud of course, as it had for many years. Another photograph of similar vintage shows that next to Nash’s House stood Baylis Lewis & Co – Steam Printers shop.
Baylis
The Baylis family name and printing crop up in Worcester constantly. This New Street shop was the premises was Alfred M. Baylis. As well as a shop in New Street there was a “Baylis Brothers” printers and stationers in Friar Street in the 1850s. One advert from the period show that they were selling SPLENDID BLACK WRITING INK at 2s 6d per Gallon. Yes, that is per gallon – a lot of letter writing must have been going on! Alfred himself was elder brother to one Ebenezer Baylis.
Ebenezer Baylis started his own print business in 1858 and went on to become very successful in the trade. His Trinity Street premises gave rise to the famed Trinity Press. For many years an Ebenezer Baylis factory stood at the top of London Road. Today this is the site of what is now Waitrose. Planning for the Ebenezer Baylis factory begun in 1935. Its demolition took place in 2015.
References
Images taken from the Changing Face of Worcester website. Historical facts gleaned from contemporary trade directories, census registers and old Worcester newspapers. See also the article of 25th November in the Worcester News.