Local Chelmsford Information needed

[Glendaveny]

Is there anyone out there with local knowledge of Chelmsford.   I would like to know whether 75 Duke Street and 48 Mildmay Road still exist.   The Mildmay Road address was just a house I think but the Duke Street one was a photographic studio.   As far as I can tell, it was next door to the Coach & Horses Public House.   I would love to know what is there now.

[ricky1]

Hi Glendaveny

you could try this site just type in the address

http://postcode.royalmail.com/portal/rm/postcodefinder?catId=400145&pageId=pcaf_pc_search&gear=postcode

ricky

[Clincher]

This message is mostly an aide-memoire to myself to look out for this address next time I go down Duke Street - which I often do.
I sometimes find that just googling the address (especially if the street name is uncommon) gives good results: usually courtesy of that unloved species - estate agents.
As far as 75 Duke Street in Chelmsford is concerned the only result I found was for 71 Duke Street which is occupied by a firm of solicitors named Duffield Stunt.
That is far enough away from the headquarters of Essex County County not to have been affected by modern re-development (or at least so my memory tells me). The frontage of Duffield Stunt is wide enough to possibly include 75.
Re: 48 Mildmay Road the only relevant hit I got was at http://books.google.co.uk.books
which shows that 48 Mildmay Road was important enough to be included in a book by the architectural historian Pevsner

[Glendaveny]

Clincher - thanks for your reply.   I would really appreciate it if you could have a look next time you wander down Duke Street.

[Clincher]

This has just got a bit complicated. I went down Duke Street today.
Next door to 71 Duke Street (occupied by Duffield Stunt) is another firm of solicitors called Leonard Gray & Co. They occupy 3 buildings -each with their own front door - but none of which have a number on.
But the website for Leonard Gray & Co states their address to be 72-74 Duke Street.*
The buildings for 71-74 Duke Street are very old -pre Victorian I would say.
Next door to No 74 is a gap which separates No 74 from the headquarters of Essex County Council which were probably built in 20th century.
So No 75 may have been where this gap is...unless the numbering of premises in Duke Street is a bit eccentric and it is/was on t'other side of the street.
My brain was not sharp enough to cover this possibility today so next time I will look there.Watch this space

*Their website is at
http://www.leonardgray.co.uk
If you want a picture of their premises click on 'Our firm', scroll down to 'Contact us' and click on that.....and get your magnifying glass out

[Glendaveny]

Thanks for the information!   It certainly sounds as if No 75 may have been demolished.   I can't really see it being across the road when No 71 is next door to 72-74.   I have been looking at old photos of Duke Street on the Francis Frith site to see if I can pinpoint the building on them but it all looks too different today.   Are there any specific landmarks nearby (e.g. an old pub, a statue or whatever) which would help me put my finger on the right part of the street?   In the photo on the Leonard Gray website (pity it's so small!!), would I be right in thinking that the 'gap' where No 75 would have been is at the end nearest the photographer?

I really appreciate your help on this - but don't go wearing out your shoe leather for my sake.

[Clincher]

"In the photo on the Leonard Gray website (pity it's so small!!), would I be right in thinking that the 'gap' where No 75 would have been is at the end nearest the photographer"

That's right

[Glendaveny]

Thanks.

[Clincher]

If you go to Essex RO website (just google SEAX) logon as a Guest, click on 'Image' at right, enter 'Duke' in search box.
You should get 3 pages of hits (not all of which ae relevant to you) but have a look at I/LS/CFD/0050 which shows a good portion of the correct end of Duke Street but is it enough, I don't know....
There is another pic of Duke St which looks as if the end of the world was nigh...