The Jubilee Plaques

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Back in October 2009, fellow member Alan Kingston was kicking his heels up at the top end of Saddler Street in Durham while Barbara, his wife, was browsing in the shop known as The Georgian Window. Ever the observant PC he happened to notice a small plaque attached to the lintel above the entrance to one of the vennels that abound in our city. On this plaque were some words indicating that this was the site of the North Gate between Bailey and City. What grabbed Alan's attention, however, was not the wording but the inclusion of a Rotary Wheel and the dates 1923 and 1973 at the bottom edge of the plaque. He just happened to have a camera with him so he took a photo and brought a print into the next Rotary meeting.
This intrigued several of us, not least our esteemed Bulletin Editor, Malcolm Proud. And, sure enough, within a day or so, he had located a back issue of the Bulletin (Number 47, September 1976) which revealed the full story as shown in the image below, cobbled together from the Bulletin pages. As for me, I couldn't resist the urge to grab my cameras and search out the plaques at the first opportunity and the results are shown below.

Plaque 1 - Entrance to "New Market"
I cannot find any trace of this, although there are numerous holes in the masonry where it could have been.

Plaque 2 - Silver Street end of Moat Lane
Still in place , but photographing it so the wording can be read was like photographing a black cat in a coal-hole - hence the over-exposed background of the close-up photo.

It's a pity they got the apostrophe wrong - surely there was more than one mediaeval pilgrim?

Plaque 3 - Jevons' House
My first attempts to locate this plaque ended in failure, but I was put on the right track by our member Arthur Moyes. As the archivist at Hatfield College, Arthur has written a book on the history of the College which gives us the full story. No.7 North Bailey, the Principal's House, is part of the College and was named after Dr. Frank Byron Jevons, Principal and then Master from 1897 to 1922. To quote Arthur's book: "[Jevons] lived in that rambling old building for such a long time that it became known simply as Jevons' House." Dr. Jevons held high university office for many years, including Vice-Chancellor from 1910 to 1912. This "rambling old building" was demolished in 1966 and replaced by a new building, completed in 1968; it is still called Jevons' House.

John Gully seems to have been quite a character. In 1862 he purchased the Wingate Estate in County Durham, including Cocken Hall and the associated coal mines. Although he died in Durham, he is buried in Ackworth, near Pontefract, Yorkshire. Read more about him in Wikipedia.

Plaque 4 - Music School, Palace Green

Plaque 5 - Windy Gap Entrance to Music School.
This gap can certainly be windy!

Plaque 6 - Almshouses, Palace Green

Plaque 7 - University Library, Palace Green

Plaque 8 - Hallgarth Street
The medieval Cathedral Tithe Barn. A few minutes research on the internet told me what I should have already known. This ancient building is now the Prison Officers' Club and, as such, is off-limits to the casual observer (for the time being!).

Plaque 9 - University Library, Palace Green

Plaque 10 - 39 Silver Street
The first challenge here is to establish which is No. 39 - none of the buildings appear to have a number on them. I have established that the Post Office is No. 33 and Burton's (below the Post Office, in the restored buildings) occupy Nos. 31-32, so it is probable that No.39 is further up and has been completely redeveloped. In any event, there's no sign of the plaque on any of the existing buildings.

Plaque 11 - Elvet Bridge
Another missing plaque? I couldn't find it on the "deck" of the bridge, but this was extensively restored and modified in 1978(?) so it may have "been lost" then.

Plaque 12 - Saddler Street
The one that started this treasure hunt. The vennel is just below The Georgian Window.