B/W print; The Old Curiosity Shop, by Topical Press, 1923
Main details
| Reference number | 1999/20198 |
|---|---|
| Description | The corner of Portsmouth Street looking towards Lincoln's Inn Fields. Shows The Old Curiosity Shop (No 14), the rebuilt corner of Sardinia Street, and in the distance, the Public Trustee Building and the Armour Building, in Lincoln's Inn Fields, with frontages to Kingsway. |
| Photographer | |
| Dates | Jul 1923 |
| Collection | |
| Object type |
|
| Photograph number | U1710 |
| Location | |
| Topics | |
| Completeness | 73% |
-
Physical description
Dimensions Attribute Value Height mmWidth mmItem content Attribute Value Annotation THE CORNER OF PORTSMOUTH ST, LOOKING TOWARDS LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, 1923, showing THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, again become such; the rebuilt corner of Sardinia St; and, in distance, the Public Trustee Building and the Armour Building, in Lincoln's Fields, with frontages to Kingsway.
Photograph (taken July, 1923) by Topical Press. Und copyright.
ON STREET NAMEPLATES.
The conspicuous nameplate shown on the right-hand side of the latter-day photograph of Portsmouth St is a reminder that the Westminster City Council showed the lead in this connection - somewhere in the late 'Nineties, we think. There were two notable features about the new pattern of nameplate introduced by the Council; firstly, it recorded the name of the district wherein was situated the street concerned; and, secondly, it was neatly framed. These innovations soon attracted the attention of other municipal authorities, and so far as the London area is concerned, nearly all - from the Corporation downwards - now make use of a street nameplate embodying the features mentioned.
A nice little touch of inter-municipal rivalry is reflected by the nameplates on the railings at each end of the Broad Walk in Kensington Gardens. This Broad Walk is a parish boundary. The Westminster Council came along and put up a nameplate on the side within its jurisdiction: "City of Westminster - The Broad Walk". This put the Kensington Council on its mettle; so up went a name plate on the other side of the gate: "The Royal Borough of Kensington - The Broad Walk". Now, the Broad Walk is entirely in Kensington, on one side; so the Kensington Council duly labelled the Bayswater end also. This is where Paddington came in, so the Paddington side of the gate in the Bayswater Road was very promptly labelled: "The Metropolitan Borough of Paddington - The Broad Walk", and if people know not that the Broad Walk IS the Broad Walk it is certainly not the fault of the local authorities concerned. But the Westminster surveyor had a little up his sleeve, however, for recently the east side of the Kensington gate of the Broad Walk has had an additional nameplate set up against it: "The City of Westminster - Kensington Road".
For a curiosity in nameplate spelling, the plates identifying St James's Square at Notting Hill would be hard to beat - except at an Underground station. The Kensington surveyor put one up: "St James's Square". Now, this spelling is absolutely the correct form, according to all the rules and regulations of the King's English, as approved by recognised authorities. Maybe, however, the surveyor had just a doubt about it, so we find close by that there is a nameplate recording: "St James' Square". Then, seemingly, he had a doubt about this form of spelling also. He had a third go, and this is what the observant passer by will come across - "ST JAMES SQUARE".Design Attribute Value Shot Medium exterior -
People involved
Role Person(s) involved Photographer Topical Press, Jul 1923Copied by Colin Tait, 1982 -
Associated companies, people and places
Places Location Portsmouth Street, Westminster, WC2People Attribute Value People Charles White -