This street was previously referred to as Back Street near the church & Dead Street where
it joins Bridge Street in the West.
This street was previously referred to as Back Street near the church & Dead Street where
it joins Bridge Street in the West.
It became an area of dreadful slums in the 19th century, although it seems always to have been a place of deprivation, as the name Dead Street dates from the great plague of 1349. In the 16th century, fifty people from Dead Street died from plague & were buried in a pit nearby. In 1665 plague struck again and no-one survived.
In 1924, work began to clear the slums of Queen Street. In their place was built St
Mary's Square - now principally a car park.
A notable survivor of the clearances is the British School. This building was completed in 1857. It houses a galleried classroom, perhaps the only one to remain in the country.
Alternatively, you can return to the map.