Changing face of city centre thoroughfare

The Gravel Walk of today bears absolutely no resemblance to the Gravel Walk of the 1980s. Likewise, going back still further, the Gravel Walk of the 1950s is again vastly different to both later versions. The accompanying pictures come from the 1960s, which was an era of great change for this little thoroughfare. The first view dates from April 1, 1964, and a small crowd watches as firemen extinguish a blaze in a derelict building on the south side of Gravel Walk. Until recently, this structure, at No 6 Gravel Walk, had been used by W.S. Williams & Co – coachbuilders, as a paint store. Their main premises were a collection of ramshackle and blitz-damaged buildings that fronted Rose Lane. The second photo dates from around the same time and shows the tiny, remote burial ground for St Mary Bredin Church. This could also be found on the south side of Gravel Walk, but a little further up, and closer to the new bus station. Note the Nissan Huts in the background. These had also once belonged to Williams & Co, coachbuilders. The south side of Gravel Walk was cleared in 1965, and the ground prepared for the construction of the multi-storey car park. The burial ground was the last to go, but even then, only the surface was cleared. The actual burials weren’t lifted until the second Whitefriars redevelopment, right at the end of the 1990s.

A small burial ground in the same area

A derelict building in Gravel Walk