Changing garden scene on banks of the Stour

The area immediately north of The Friars Bridge is the subject of this week’s archive photos, which were taken in the late 1940s.

The picture on the right dates from 1949, and was taken behind the San Maria Restaurant, to record the laying out of formal gardens there.

The single-storey restaurant building fronting on to The Friars had recently been converted from a showroom building occupied by Friars Garage Ltd.

The garden area, with its large trees, had once been in the grounds of Binnewith House, which had been demolished to make way for The Friars Cinema (later the Odeon) in the early 1930s.

Having reverted to a car showroom in recent years, the little building was demolished to make way for the new and much larger Marlowe Theatre.

Part of the garden area is still there today, but the trees are long gone. The remaining area is now paved over and plays host to the seated statue of Dave Lee.

The photo on the left moves to the opposite bank of the River Stour and dates from 1948. In the foreground, the blitzed remains of a wooden fellmongers building had recently been cleared away.

Behind, the former Blackfriars refectory buildings is in use by the First Church of Christ Scientist.

Note the punts in use for the late 1940s version of today’s river tours.

In the 1950s, the Friends Meeting House would be built on the blitzed site. And today, the former Blackfriars range is part of the King’s School.