Lower North Street

The buildings along the southern end of the Iron Bridge once huddled outside of the city’s ancient North Gate. That was demolished in 1760 and the cluster of buildings have been rebuilt and modernized since. James Bell has recalled of that area: ‘Once, in 1938, I walked to school across the Iron Bridge on the way to Mary Arches – I was five at the time and I used to meet a red headed boy my own age – named Sayer who lived over the YMCA billiard room at 5 Lower North Street – at the corner of Bartholomew Street.

The entrance to his house was round the back, down a slope from the coach station in Paul Street. A lady, who I assume was his mother, would walk with him as far as the corner of Paul Street and Lower North Street, and watch him as he went across Lower North Street and the road to the Iron Bridge, when he met up with me – she would wave and go back.

We would walk along as far as St Mary Arches Street, cross the road and go up to the school.

There were some almshouses (Lant’s Almshouses) on the right from the corner after Seaton’s dairy, just before you get to the malt house. These alms houses had half doors and the old ladies would spend their time sitting looking out over the half door. We got to know them and always had a chat if there was time, and on the way back we were given cake or sweets.

There was a high pavement and my friend liked to jump up and down from the pavement to the gutter, some times he would only walk in the gutter because he liked to walk abreast with me as the pavement was narrow.

One morning he stepped out right in front of a Devon General Bus which killed him instantly.

I did not know what had happened as there was such a commotion, one of the old ladies took me into her house and kept me there while the mess was cleared up and the fire brigade washed the road down. They first thought that there were two of us under the bus, later in the morning a teacher came to collect me and took me to school.