George Street, Richmond

George Street

George Street in 1988
Location	Richmond, London, England, United Kingdom
Postal code	TW10
Nearest National Rail, London Overground, London Underground station	Richmond railway station
Other
Known for	It was one of the first streets to be developed in Richmond and is the town's high street

George Street, at the confluence of the A305 and A307 roads, is the high street in Richmond, London and was one of the first streets to be developed in the town.^[1] Previously known as Great Street,^[2] it was renamed after King George III in 1769.^[1] Buildings on the street include the Grade II listed Greyhound House, formerly the Greyhound Hotel,^[3] in a building dating from the 1730s.^[2]

1790s

No. 80 George Street was the site of J H Gosling & Sons, department store, founded as a drapers by John Hunt Gosling in 1796. The site expanded to include 75-79. In 1947 it was taken over by John Barker & Co. (later acquired by House of Fraser in 1957); it was demolished in 1968 after being damaged in a fire. It reopened as Dickins & Jones on completion of new building 1970; renamed House of Fraser 2007;^[4] closed in 2020 and is now undergoing redevelopment.

1890s

The facade of the former General Post Office building at 70–72 George Street, now a retail store, incorporates the coat of arms of the former Municipal Borough of Richmond, which existed from 1890 to 1965.

George Street in the 1930s.

No. 29, now a Tesco Metro, was built in 1896 by the brothers Alfred and Harold Wright as a drapers shop. It developed into the first department store in Richmond, Wright Brothers Ltd, in 1929. Wright Brothers was purchased by Hide & Co Ltd, of Kingston, in 1940; they were taken over by House of Fraser in 1975, and the department store was sold to Owen Owen in 1976 and closed in 1990.^[5]

The street is one-way eastbound. Westbound traffic uses Eton Street, Paradise Road and Red Lion Street.

Memorial plaque

At Barclays Bank a memorial plaque, relocated in 2014 from the bank's former branch in Ham,^[6] commemorates Angela Woolliscroft, a bank teller who was murdered in 1976 during a bank robbery at the Ham branch. It reads: "In fond memory of Angela Woolliscroft who died on 10th November 1976. A member of staff of this branch who will always be remembered by her colleagues."

Gallery

• 
  Former Post Office building on George Street
• 
  Facade of the Post Office building, showing the coat of arms of the former Municipal Borough of Richmond
• 
  Memorial plaque paying tribute to bank teller Angela Woolliscroft, murdered in 1976 during a robbery at Barclays Bank's branch in Ham
• 
  Corner of the former Wright Brothers building

References

1. The Streets of Richmond and Kew (Fourth ed.). Richmond Local History Society. 2022. p. 47.
2. "Riverside – south of the river, west of the Tower. Richmond – central and riverside". Edith's Streets. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
3. Historic England (10 January 1950). "Greyhound House (1080824)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
4. "HOUSE OF FRASER Archive :: Company: Gosling & Sons Ltd". Housefraserarchive.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
5. Gill, Shane (20 January 2021). "The Development of Retail on Richmond High Street and the impact this had on the local area". BA History at Bournemouth University. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
6. Dyduch, Amy (24 April 2014). "Murdered Chessington teller's memory to be honoured when bank moves out of Ham Parade". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

Further reading

• Richmond Local History Society (2022). The Streets of Richmond and Kew (4th edition), ISBN 978-1-912314-03-4.

External links

• Aerial view: the junction of King Street and George Street, Richmond, August 1928

51°27′37.44″N 0°18′18.72″W