King Street Dawley
4 King Street, The shop in the centre was Povey Brothers a butchers listed in Kelley’s Directory 1937 page 88, it is rumoured that they sold horse meat during the Second World War.
6 King Street, Mrs Maria Bailey a servants' registry office listed in Kelley’s Directory 1913 page 86 & 1926 page 87.
King street the shop at numbers 12 in 1913 was run by William Mills a grocer, at the same time he also was a painter which he used number 10 for that business by 1934 and 1937 number 12 was run by George E Bray a grocer. Photo unknow source?
King street Dawley, the woman and two young girls are outside number 20 and in the 1911 census William Wood lived there with he’s wife Julia and two daughters Florence age 10 and Alice age 8, they look about two years younger so I date this photo to about 1909.
On the opposite side of the road, that’s behind the woman, there was a little shop called “Sports and Hobbies” where, in the 1950’s Eric Beard sold accessories for most of the better known sports, He also sold sweets, making it a convenient place to stop off and stock up with sugary delights on the way to ‘The Royal’ cinema, for the enterprising shop obligingly remained open into the evening. Reference: - A Pig On The Wall View Of Dawley, page 11.
This photo is of where the doctors are now, the Warehouse was demolished in the 1960’s, this also was the entrance to the King’s Arms public house which stood back from the road and to the right of this photo.
Photo courtesy of Malcolm Peel.
This photo came from the internet.
Coronation 1902.
This photo courtesy of Dawley History Group.
This Photo shows the group of cottages lying in a dip opposite the Royal cinema and was known for some reason as “The Cunnery”. Photo unknow source?
The Royal
Built in 1937 as a purpose built cinema, it was built on the old Sunday school demonstration field. The first film shown there was George Formby in “Keep Your Seats Please”. It was opened on a Tuesday afternoon by Dr Woodhouse, The local doctor in Dawley. Projectionists where Billy Miles and Alfred Evans. Ken Williams was a trainee projectionist when he started work there as a 14 year old in 1942. He started under Ray Jenks of Dawley, The cinema stopped showing films in 1961 and became a Bingo hall.
The Royal Bingo / Cinema was pull down in 2008, work was started in the last week in January and it had completely gone by the second week in February 2008.
I believe one of the buildings in this photo was the Pheasant public house, the building at the top right is the Dawley social club but at the time of this photo it was the British Legion, all the buildings in this photo except the Dawley social club were demolished in the late 1950’s and this is where now stands Churchill court.
The two men in the photo were brothers Don and Len Pitchford.
Photo courtesy of Malcolm Peel.
"New Liberal Room. Dawley Salop” Now Dawley Social Club.
Coronation 1902.
This photo courtesy of Dawley History Group.
Coronation 1902.
This photo courtesy of Dawley History Group.
New Town (Just off King Street.)
Church Road West with the Rough Ground in the distance, it was sent in by Stewart who came across this old photo when he was researching the Davies family, he is sure it’s connected to the Picken family of Dawley, the woman holding the baby in the centre may be but can’t be sure Minnie Picken.