Yeovil's Virtual Museum

talbot street

Tucked away behind Summerhouse Terrace

 

Talbot Street was 'infill housing' built during the 1890s on orchards between Summerhouse Terrace and Duke of Clarence Yard. The 1890 Ordnance Survey, seen at left, shows the area still as orchards while the 1901 Ordnance Survey, below, shows the newly-built Talbot Street complete with its single terrace of houses.

It was a short street off Summerhouse Terrace with its entrance between the terrace of housing in Summerhouse Terrace and the dressing yard at the bottom of Mill Lane. After taking a 90° bend, it comprised a single run of ten south-facing terraced houses facing the backs of Summerhouse Terrace.

Talbot Street was demolished around 1965 and the site is now the upper part of Stars Lane car park.

 

Based on the 1901 Ordnance Survey, Talbot Street is seen left of centre with its entrance off Summerhouse Terrace which, at this time, only went as far as the Town Mill. (Surprising to see Dodham Brook labelled as a 'sewer').

 

A view from Summerhouse Hill dating to about 1898. At this time Summerhouse Terrace is seen at centre right but Talbot Street has yet to be built behind it. Notice the allotments facing Summerhouse Terrace.

 

This image features in my book 'Yeovil - The Postcard Collection'.

A postcard of Talbot Street, posted in 1905.

 

Talbot Street photographed around 1910.

 

From my collection

This postcard, taken from Summerhouse Hill, dates to about 1910 and shows Talbot Street at centre, behind the row of houses in Summerhouse Terrace. At the left end of this terrace is the entrance to Talbot Street.  Notice that the pair of large semi-detached houses at the entrance to Talbot Street have yet to be built and the orchard belonging to glove manufacturer Thomas Fooks still occupies the top left quadrant of the image.

 

From my collection

This is an enlargement of a postcard, sent in 1922, with the large, semi-detached houses in Talbot Street now at centre left.

 

Courtesy of Bill and Audrey Robertson

Another hand-coloured postcard view from Summerhouse Hill but dating to about 1910 and the large glove factory in the middle ground has been built on the site of the old allotments.

 

A similar, but closer, view of Talbot Street running across the centre of this 1930s postcard.

 

.... and seen from a different angle in 1953. At top left is the gasometer adjacent to Stars Lane and at bottom left is the Gaumont Cinema. Duke of Clarence Yard is at the centre of the picture above and right of the Gaumont. Further up are the backs of the houses in Talbot Street and further still the backs of the houses in Summerhouse Terrace.

 

Houses in Talbot Street decorated for the Queen's coronation in 1953.

A colourised photograph of Talbot Street, empty and awaiting demolition in the early 1960's.