Chapel Street

Chapel Street was known by several other names in older records including 'Top of Back Street' in the 1851 census and 'Rotten Row' in the 1861 census, which is said to have been derived from the accumulation of butchers shops in this area.  The name of Chapel Street became accepted from about the time of the 1867 Rate Book and the 1871 census.

Although only a short street, it does have several important buildings which we will be writing about in due course.  These include the Cossham Hall, the Armstrong Hall, the Thornbury Museum, the Wheatsheaf public house and the United Reformed Church.  The photograph above was taken about 1972 after the opening of the Armstrong Hall.  Note the building next to the Cossham Hall on the left which had been Thompson's bakery, also the building on the right (now the opticians 7 Chapel Street) which was then a cafe.

We have not yet had the time to do justice to all the properties in Chapel Street.  We have so far only written about the United Reformed Chapel and the three cottages, now collectively known as 7 Chapel Street, because it was once part of the Exchange Hotel whose deeds we have seen.  We would love to hear from anyone with memories or photographs of the street or the families who lived there.