33 High Street, Bangor

[Admin (Matt)]

I'm currently trying to do a little research on my current residence, which is 33 High Street, Bangor. Obviously it is located a few doors down from the British Hotel, which is a Listed Grade II building. On the Hotel's page on your site, a b&w photo shows the beginning of our building (which is now officially 33/35 High Street). So I know it was built at the time of that photograph (though there is no date on it), but would like to know if the listing applies to these properties too (they appear to be built in the same brickwork as the BH, though I know this doesn't necessarily mean they were built at the same time
 or together), and what they were used for. I have trawled some of the directories on your website dated after 1851 (I used that as a base from when the BH was built), and can seemingly find 32 and 34 High Street as shops. I am just curious as to what my residence was!

Amy Slater

[Admin (Matt)]

If you own the house then the deeds might be a fascinating insight into the history of the building.

Maps can be useful sadly there is a map called Captain Johnson's 1854 which I've never been able to get hold of. This is the era that the big railway development took place and the British Hotel and that end of the high street really came into being.

The directories are a good bet but can be hard going 35 was a temperance hotel in 1868 run by a Sheraton Thomas http://www.bangorcivicsociety.org.uk/pages/hisso/1868/s8.htm.

Attached:
1890 First Edition OS Map
Early Image of British Hotel
3 other pictures

[Admin (Matt)]

Those pictures are absolutely brilliant! From what I work out then, we are the one absolutely dripping in ivy. It's so lovely. Do you know the chronology of those photos? And what was happening in the picture with all the horses/ceremony?

Sadly I don't own the building, I only rent the first floor flat. I don't know what inspired me to find out, really, but i'm a history graduate from Bangor, so that probably has something to do with it!

I will keep going through the directories then, and see if I can find anything. From the pictures it looks like it could just be someone's home, which is lovely. The fireplaces we have would indicate that, too.

Thanks so much for these pictures, they're amazing.
Amy

[Admin (Matt)]

No problem. The parade was in 1916, the Royal Welsh, before being drafted to France in WW1. An amazing book called cofeb y dewrion was produced for those in bangor who died in the war... http://www.bangorcivicsociety.org.uk/pages/hisso/cofeb/index.htm

The photo with the car is roughly 1936, the build to the right being a motor showroom, which remained until LIDL was built. Before that it was tennis courts and garden for the British Hotel residents.

The photo with the dog in the foreground is 1907

There are old newspapers in the stack going back to the 1800s, which can be nice to flick through for old news and adverts etc.

Matt

[Edward Dewhurst]

Matt, you make a reference to lots of "old newspapers" for reference purposes - where can I find these - in the Library or the Town Hall ?  Papers are THE key for my own researches.  
Any help gratefully received.
Ted

[Admin (Matt)]

Ted,

In the basement of the University library (Main Arts) there is an openly accessible room called 'the stack' in there (on the left) is the collection of local newspapers dating back to 1700-1800's many of which have been bound by year. It's quite amazing to see really. There are tables/reading space there too.

Online I've used..

1) http://newspapers.library.wales/home (Welsh Newspapers Online - Welsh National Library) FREE
2) https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ 

The 2nd one is subscription/paid site; But if you use the 'Topcashback' website you can currently get get - 1 Month Subscription 73.5% back / Pay As You Go 31.5% back / 12 Month Subscription 31.5% back / 3 Month Subscription 52.5% back

Hope that helps
Matt