No. 21 & 22 Wood Street

The next buildings in my onestreet project of Wood Street, Stratford upon Avon.  I have included both the buildings as in line with the theme for today's Mono Monday hosted by chantler63, Every Picture Tells a Story, there is a story.

Behind these buildings used to be the Stratford Hippodrome.  Originally a wooden skating rink it became the Hippodrome in 1913 after a cinema was built on the site. After a period of closure it reopened as a cinema in 1926 which ran until 1932.  In 1934 it was converted into the Hippodrome Ballroom, a multi-use building which included skating, dancing and sports events including boxing. It ended up as a bingo club and was finally demolished in 1971 to make space for a multi story car park.

There is another story too.  This is taken from the BBC website, WW2 People's War:

Pip Troughton served with the ‘Waldron’s Warriors’, the local Stratford volunteers:

“We had to join up and sign on at the Hippodrome in Wood Street. Did (Jack) tell you about Sir Oswald Mosley coming down through the town? We were stood outside the Hippodrome one day, and who should come down in the middle of the road but Sir Oswald Mosley and the Brown Shirts,  each side of the road. I was too young then to exchange words with them, but I thought, evil lot of people. They said they are re-forming up at the cattle market before going off again — that was the place for them as well, wasn’t it? Cattle market!

Unfortunately I have not been able to track down an image of the Hippodrome, I'm sure there must be one somewhere.


References:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/72/a4468872.shtml  WW2 People's War

https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/memories-hippodrome-wood-street  Memories of the Hippodrome, Wood Street

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/39709 Cinema Treasures

Later Edit:
This is the occupancy information for No.21 and 22 Wood Street taken from the 1891 census.

Number 21 was occupied by Hairdresser, Parcel Agent and Confectioner Henry Coombs with his wife Eleanor, who worked at the Registry Office for Servants, their two sons, three daughters  and servant Emily Phipps.

At Number 22 lived George Luckett, Baker and Confectioner, with his wife, three sons and baby daughter.  There was also a boarder who worked as a saddler, a servant and Luckett's mother-in-law who was the assistant housekeeper.