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Ross-on-Wye

Millpond Street

Millpond Street, Ross-on-Wye, runs approximately north-south between Five Ways and Station Street. This street has seen many changes over its history, from being bordered by farmland, to heavy industry to retail.



The view south from Five Ways down Millbrook Street, right down to where it meets Station Street.

Millpond Street
Looking south down Millpond Street from Fiveways
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Millpond Street
Workshops beside Millpond Street
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The view north looking north past some workshops and Millbrook Cottages back towards Fiveways.


This car park is on the site of the mill pond, from which the street takes its name, and the water passed over the weir next to it and was used to power the "Town Mill" or "Two Mills" (called that as each of the mills was named by number of mill stones) close by on Fiveways. [ more details ]

Millpond Street
The site of the mill pond in Millpond Street
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The End of the Pond

By 1900 the mill pond had become silted up due to the lack of use as a 'mill pond' as a steam engine was in use at the mill, and it was catching the effluent draining into it from from surrounding premises and stables.

As a result, residents of Ross complained about the smell from the pond so in 1902 the Town Council took over the site and started to fill in the mill pond to form an ornamental garden and duck pond called 'King's Acre' to commemorate King Edward VII's birthday. But because it was not completely filled in, the smell and problems remained and in 1927 it was finally filled in by SHACS with rubble and used as an agricultural display area until sometime in the 1960's, it was converted into a car park as seen today.

Millpond Street
The site of the Kells Foundry in Millpond Street
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This is the site of the Kells Foundary in Ross-on-Wye. [ more details ]

The site behind this, that is now Morrisons Supermarket was previously Safeway Supermarket. Safeway bought the site off "Kemps of Ross", who were Builders Merchants, and they then moved site to Alton Road. They ceased trading at 1:00pm on the 24th December, 1991 and reopened on Alton Street at 8:00am on the 6th January, 1992. They have since joined the Bradfords group of Builders Merchants.


These houses were built by the council on Millpond Street.

In the area infront of these houses, there is a small hump in the road. This hump marks the point where an old culvert runs under the road.

Millpond Street
Houses built by the council on Millpond Street
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These old houses run along the side of Millpond Street.

Old houses beside Millpond Street
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These two buildings used to be part of the Alton Court Brewery that was based in Station Street. These were the Tap House and the Coopers building. [ more details ]

Brewery buildings beside Millpond Street
(Click for a larger image)

Millpond Street
The view down Millpond Street
(Click for a larger image)

This is the view back down Millpond Street from Station Street back towards Five Ways.




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[Page updated: Feb 15 2011 13:31:59]






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