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Ross-on-Wye

Broad Street

Broad Street, Ross-on-Wye, runs north - south from Brookend Street up the hill to just below Market House where the Market Place starts.


Looking north down Broad Street from under the Market House towards the Brookend area of Ross.

Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Other than the changes to the shop fronts, there have not been a great number of changes to this street. The main change is probably the building of the Maltings shopping arcade just beyond the site of the Roxy cinema at the bottom / north end of the street.


Broad Street
Broad Street, Ross-on-Wye
[No. 21204 published by Salmon - posted 1962]
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Postcard view of Broad Street
Broad Street: Ross-on-Wye
[No. R334 published by Walter Scott]
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A postcard of Broad Street
The view down Broad Street Ross-on-Wye
(Click for a larger image)

Here we have a postcard (unknown publisher - no. 10923) view of Broad Street from up towards the Market House, probably in the early 1900's.

On the right can be seen a nameless shop which may have been W. H. Smiths sometime around the point that it opened. Next down is "G. Eltome's" who was a shirt maker and tailor.


The postcard below left is thought to be circa 1935. A number of the shops are clearly visible. On the left side can be seen Mellias Ltd, The Crown and Sceptre Inn and W.H.Probert. In the middle of the view can be seen a police man can be seen walking down the middle of Broad Street and Blakes down at the junction between Station Street and Brookend Street. On the right can be seen J.C. Vine, W.H.Smith, Eltome & Son and the Star Supply Stores.

The postcard on the right is very clear is circa 1910. The shops are almost identical to those seen the lefthand postcard.

A postcard - Broad Street
Looking down Broad Street c.1930
[Unknown publisher]
(Click for a larger image)
Broad Street in 1910
A Broad Street in 1910
(Click for a larger image)

Looking north from where Broad Street starts at the point where it meets the Market Place.

WH Smiths, on the right, has been there for over 100 years. The shop that is currently Mervyn James has been a menswear shop for over 100 years and around that time it was was called and run by G. Eltone.

On the left, the shop that is now "Going Places" travel agent was Mings chinese and chip shop in around 1995 before they moved to Brookend Street and around a 100 years ago the shop was W. Probert.

Shops on Broad Street
Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

The start of Broad Street
The start of Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

The Market Place used to run from the junction with New Street up to St Mary's Street and along to the Gloucester Road junction although it now starts further up Broad Street and does not extend much further along the High Street than the Market House does now.


Here we see a postcard view looking north down Broad Street from around 1908. The shop on the right, called Nottingham House which is currently Peacocks, was Lewis's which was a clothes shop. There is a sign in the window which reads "SEASONS GOODS must be cleared at any cost" and outside the shop is a variety of chairs with all sorts of items on them for sale.

Next down in the Baptist Chapel as rebuilt by Thomas Blake with the ramp that was only removed in the last few years.

Then below that, the shop that is currently "Revolutions" bicycle shop (which was "Little & Hall") was "Vine's" who were a cash draper. Next down again was "Bussel's".

A postcard of the lower part of Broad Street
A postcard view of Broad Street
[Published by Frith's - no 64482]
(Click for a larger image)

Little & Hall sign
Sign for Little & Hall
(Click for a larger image)

Here is a sign that remains from when it was "Little and Hall Cycle Centre" dealing in Raleigh and Peugeot bikes for both sale and hire. They also had a workshop in the back of the shop where they were able to hold a wide variety of spares and repair and upgrade bicycles. They were established in 1921 until in the early 2000's when they became "Revolutions".


Looking north down Broad Street at the shops on the west side of the street.

The west side of Broad Street
The west side of Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

The east side of Broad Street
The east side of Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Looking north down the east side of Broad Street.


Looking north down the west side of Broad Street.

Another view of Broad Street
The west side of Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Perkins and Bellamy on Broad Street
The site of Perkins and Bellamy on Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

The site of Perkins and Bellamy on Broad Street between 1850 and 1900. In 1920 this shop was Oliver Lewis who sold linen, fabric and bedding. This shop was also the office for the Ross International Festival in 2004 (I think). It was then a Pound Shop selling all sorts of items for £1 and this was followed by Neat and Cheap selling house hold goods at low prices (until they moved to Gloucester Road). The shop was then redeveloped with the upper floors coverted into apartments and the shop became the womans clothes shop Country Collection.


Buildings on the east side of Broad Street with Crofts lane between the grey building and the red brick building on the far right.

The end of Crofts Lane
The west side of Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Nottingham House on Broad Street
Nottingham House on Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Nottingham House on Broad Street was also part of Perkins and Bellamy. It is currently "Peacocks" selling various clothing. The grey building to the right of it, is "Ross Books" which is a book shop selling various new books.


The Baptist Church on Broad Street.

The Baptist Church was originally built in 1819 and had fallen into disrepair by 1881 and Thomas Blake offered to rebuild it with a new one. The design looked pretty much as seen today. The rebuild took 8 months between the last service in the old building in April and the first in the new one in December, quite an amazing feat. In 1994, it had its frontage changed to remove a ramp and added the porch on the front to allow easier access which has been the only recent work externally on the building. The works were completed in 2000 when the interior was vastly improved.

Behind this building used to be a graveyard. This closed to new burials in 1884 but my father remembers climbing through the fence into the site as a child in the 1950's. This has since been converted into a car park at about the same time as the Crofts was redeveloped (from a public toilet and waste area where teenagers used to hang out getting drunk into the shopping area as seen today).

Baptist Church on Broad Street
Baptist Church on Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

C. Cox Butchers Shop

C Cox butchers shop
C Cox butchers shop
[Courtesy: Jill Hales]
(Click for a larger image)

This is a photo of Charles Ernest Cox (seen on the left) outside his Butchers Shop that was on Broad Street and it was known to have been there prior to and during 1895.

The lady seen on the right is Emily Cox who was Charles' daughter and the lady can just be seen in the shop was Mary Cox who was Charles' wife and Emily's mother. Charles had two daughters and a son. His other daughter was Annie Elizabeth Cox.


The butchers specialised in pork and pork products. The signs in the window say "The only genuine pork shop", "Note price 3s 6d", "Sausages fresh daily 7d" and "PORK. Pork. PORK.". In the shop window can be seen strings of sausages, hams and several other pork products and through the doorway can be seen a side of pork hanging from the roof.

This is a photo of the wedding of Annie Elizabeth Cox to Stephen Robert Williams on 5th August 1895 and was taken in the slaughter yard at the rear of the shop on Broad Street. They were married in the Parish Church (St. Mary's) in Ross by the curate R. Money Kyrle.

Annie is seen middle right holding the large bouquet with Stephen stood to her left. The lady stood to her right (also holding flowers) is her sister Emily. To the far left, sat down, can be seen Charles and Mary Cox, the boy knelt down in the middle bottom of the shot is Charles' son. The two people sat down on the far right are Stephen Williams' parents. His fathers name was George Williams and he was a Mason (as in a stone mason).

Wedding photo taken in the butchers yard
Wedding photo taken in the butchers yard
[Courtesy: Jill Hales]
(Click for a larger image)

Roxy Cinema

Below-left is a photo of the frontage of the Roxy Cinema and below-right is the frontage of the shop that is now on the site of the Roxy. [ The Roxy Story]

The Roxy Cinema Ross-on-Wye
The frontage of the Roxy Cinema
[Thanks to Mr. Tommey]
(Click for a larger image)
The site of the Roxy
The site of the Roxy Cinema on Broad Street
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Looking south up Broad Street at the shops on the east and west side of the street from the point where Kyrle Street meets Broad Street.

Broad Streets shops (east side)
The east side of Broad Street
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Broad Street shops (west side)
The west side of Broad Street
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An old photo of Broad Street Ross-on-Wye
Old photo of Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Here we see a postcard (published by Friths - no 54483) view of Broad Street looking up from the north end towards the Market House.

More detail on this card can be found here.


At this end of the street, the shop in the centre here was Edmund Turner's Boot and Shoe factory was in the late 19th and early 20th century. With a staff of around twenty five people, they produced a huge range of hand stitched leather goods such as hunting, fishing and walking shoes and boots for ladies and gentlemen. They sold these in their two shops in Ross, the workshop was in the back of this building, and they had other shops in nearby towns. The production rate decreased as competition increased and sometime soon after the 1939-1945 war the now tiny factory finally closed.

The site of Edmund Turner
The site of Edmund Turner's Boot and Shoe factory
(Click for a larger image)

Broad Street extends right down to the Station Street, Brookend Street and Broad Street junction on the east side and to the yellow building, as seen in the photo below, which is "The Electric Shop", on the west side.

Originally Brookend Street extended much further up the hill and may well have gone right up to the Market Place until the layout of the middle of Ross was changed and Broad Street was created or extended.

The end of Broad Street on the west side
The end of Broad Street on the west side
(Click for a larger image)
The end of Broad Street on the east side
The end of Broad Street on the east side
(Click for a larger image)

Broad Street view
Broad Street
(Click for a larger image)

Here is the view back up Broad Street right up into the Market Place from the end of Station Street.


In this old postcard view, to the right can be seen Brown's Fish and Fruit Market.

A postcard view of the bottom of Broad Street
A postcard view of the bottom of Broad Street
[No. RS150 published by Friths]
(Click for a larger image)



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[Page updated: Nov 19 2017 19:02:57]






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