Bank Alley

by Steve Goodchild
Bank Alley Today
Bank Alley TodayClick Image
 to Expand

There isn’t a lot left of Bank Alley, unless you look carefully. A starting point is the doorway to the left of the Hat shop, the one with ‘1664’ carved into the wood above the entrance. If you peer through the gate which closes it, the alley name can be seen. The building on the left used to be Hartland’s Bank, which is easy to tell if you look above the current shop sign.

Walk down Post Office Lane to its junction with Back of Avon, and the remnants of the rear of the alley can be seen. Everything in this area has changed since the fifties. The unnamed path between the Priors Court flats and Elliot Court, down to the river, is the other end of the Alley. Between these remnants, the alley followed the wall of the car park. The concrete block wall in Post Office Lane was built to replace the steps at the point where the two joined. The wall has cut off Bank Alley forever and allowed the ground level to be raised after the houses in it were demolished.

John Rogers describes the Bank Alley cottages, which were all on the north side, as ‘crowded with children and stocking fames’. Once there were thirteen, but this reduced to ten, to allow a block of four lavatories to be built. They were all three storeys, with one room on each floor. In 1878, eight of the cottages were found unfit for habitation, and this is a recurring theme! Lack of sanitation was a problem right to the end. By the twentieth century, the Sanitation Committee were making determined efforts to obtain closure orders. In 1913, Bank Alley hit the headlines when a cottage was sold for £1.

1884 OS Map
1884 OS MapClick Image
 to Expand

In 1921, a Mr Mellor bought five for £33. The price might have been affected by a dispute going on at the time between the Council and Mr Cole about four houses he owned which the Council said could not be made habitable without some of them being demolished, to let in some light.  He protested that he’d bought them from his soldier’s gratuity and intended to modernise them. Eventually, the Council got their way, and insisted that he demolish one of them to provide a toilet and washroom, as well as light for the others. He seems to have simply abandoned them to dereliction. 

Right to the end, there was no electricity and no drainage except for gullies in the alley. There was one water tap in the ground floor living room. No sink; just a bucket. 

In 1938, an order was confirmed to demolish ten cottages, which was carried out in 1939. All that remains now in the place where hundreds of hard and sometimes tumultuous lives were played out is a carpark.

There will be a small exhibition of life in Bank Alley in ‘Out of the Hat’ during February; to find out more about the Alleycat project, look at alleycat.org.uk

Census Data 1841-1891

1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
James Townley; Male; 33; Labourer; Born In Gloucestershire.
Harriot Townley; Female; 21; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Richard Bayliss; Male; 68; Hawker; Not Born In Gloucestershire.
Elizabeth Bayliss; Female; 67; Not Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Thomas Prosser; Male; 25; Pork Boy; Born In Gloucestershire.
Ann Prosser; Female; 25; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Uninhabited House
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Mary Simmons; Female; 73; Cake ...?; Born In Gloucestershire.
Mary Simmons; Female; 33; Dressmaker; Born In Gloucestershire.
Ann Simmons; Female; 30; Milliner; Born In Gloucestershire.
John Simmons; Male; 21; Labourer; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
John Tomkins; Male; 40; Stocking Maker; Born In Gloucestershire.
Mary Tomkins; Female; 40; Charwoman; Born In Gloucestershire.
Thomas Bishop; Male; 20; Chair Maker; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Henry Hopkins; Male; 20; Shoemaker; Born In Gloucestershire.
Maria Hopkins; Female; 20; Born In Gloucestershire.
Eliza Hopkins; Female; 18; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
William Webb; Male; 55; Labourer; Born In Gloucestershire.
Elizabeth Webb; Female; 55; Born In Gloucestershire.
George Webb; Male; 20?; Baker; Born In Gloucestershire.
Caroline Webb; Female; 12; Seamstress; Born In Gloucestershire.
John Wallop; Male; 20; Plumber; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Artless Pitts; Male; 20; Labourer; Born In Gloucestershire.
Elizabeth Pitts; Female; 20; Stocking Maker; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Mary Hall; Female; 43; Daily Labourer; Not Born In Gloucestershire.
James Hall; Male; 15; Trade Unclear; Born In Gloucestershire.
Henry Hall; Male; 10; Butchers Boy; Born In Gloucestershire.
Frederick Hall; Male; 5; Born In Gloucestershire.
Felix Hall; Male; 2; Born In Gloucestershire.
Harriet Hall; Female; 8; Born In Gloucestershire.
Alexander Evans; Male; 55; Tailor; Born In Gloucestershire; Listed As Separate Household.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Edward Rogers; Male; 45; Post Boy; Born In Gloucestershire.
Tabitha Rogers; Female; 43; Born In Gloucestershire.
John Rogers; Male; 18; Born In Gloucestershire.
Ann Rogers; Female; 9; Born In Gloucestershire.
Jane Rogers; Female; 6; Born In Gloucestershire.
Allice Rogers; Female; 4; Born In Gloucestershire.
Louisa Rogers; Female; 8months; Born In Gloucestershire.
1841
Bank Alley: Church Street
1841 Ref- HO107/380/6
Ellinor(sic) Eleanor Smith; Female; 35; Framework Knitter; Born In Gloucestershire.
Eliza Smith; Female; 18; Dressmaker; Born In Gloucestershire.
Jane Smith; Female; 2months; Born In Gloucestershire.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
Jane Grainger; Head; Widow; Female; 27; Parish Relief; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Ann Grainger; Daughter; Female; 6; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Elizabeth Grainger; Daughter; Female; 3; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Mary Grainger; Daughter; Female; 1; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Elizabeth Jones; Mother; Widow; Female; 68; Stocking Maker; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
Thomas Greenfield; Head; Married; Male; 32; Employed On The Railway; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Mary Ann Greenfield; Wife; Married; Female; 26; Wife; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Edwin Greenfield; Son; Male; 2; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
John Wilkes; Head; Married; Male; 52; Agricultural Labourer; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Mary Wilkes; Wife; Married; Female; 42; Silk Mill; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Emma Wilkes; Daughter; Female; 7; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
James Wilkes; Son; Male; 5; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Keziah Wilkes; Daughter; Female; 2; Dame School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
Thomas Fletcher; Head; Married; Male; 26; Stocking Maker; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Jane Fletcher; Wife; Married; Female; 23; Stocking Makers Wife; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Charles Fletcher; Son; Male; 3; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Mary Ann Fletcher; 2; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
Mary Simons; Head; Single; Female; 45; Dressmaker; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Ann Simons; Sister; Single; Female; 42; Needlework; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
Uninhabited House
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
Henry Hopkins; Head; Married; Male; 33; Shoemaker; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Maria Hopkins; Wife; Married; Female; 34; Shoemakers Wife; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Eliza Hopkins; Daughter; Female; 11; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
James Hopkins; Son; Male; 8; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Henry Hopkins; Son; Male; 6; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Emma Hopkins; Daughter; Female; 3; National School; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
William Hopkins; Son; Male; 10months; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
John Tomkins; Head; Married; Male; 51; Tanner; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Mary Tomkins; Wife; Married; Female; 52; Tanners Wife; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
Henry Enstone; Lodger; Single; Male; 25; Tailor; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
John Bassett; Lodger; Single; Male; 22; Agricultural Labourer; Born Tewkesbury Glos.
1851
Bank Alley: Church Street
1851 Ref- HO107/1974
William Webb; Head; Married; Male; 64; Pauper Labourer; Born Horsley Glos.
Displaying the 20 property records. There are more, but the search output is limited (paging has not been developed).
Number of records found: 21


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