Memories of Angel and more in Pauls Row

Pauls Row connected the old St Mary Street, which began at the bottom of Marlow Hill, to the town centre at the cross-roads with the High Street, White Hart Street and Church Street.

Only a few of the buildings are still recognisable, most having been long since demolished.

This picture shows virtually the whole length of the west side of Pauls Row from Keen’s photography shop to White Hart Street. In the foreground the old Angel Inn is conspicuous because of the sign hanging from a steel girder, 1934:

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This picture shows the north end of the west side of Pauls Row (ie most of it is opposite the Guildhall), with the Co-operative store then the Swan Hotel in 1965. In the distance is the junction with White Hart Street. The building on the corner of Pauls Row and White Hart Street was demolished several years earlier and older readers will remember the open market which took place at weekends:

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Here we see the new Angel Inn which, unlike its predecessor, stands back from the street. This picture was taken in 1987/88 and the only difference today is that the foreground has been converted into a sort of beer garden:

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Here we are looking towards the town centre from where St Mary’s Street meets Pauls Row. The River Wye flows unseen to the side of the building on the far left, and the entrance to the covered car park for the Falcon Hotel is prominent in the centre of the picture, early 1960s:

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The photography shop of M W Keen, here shown c1970, was a doyen of the Wycombe shopping experience for several decades after WW2. It moved to Pauls Row in 1952 and sold a wide range of equipment for photography and related products, including art materials and drawing instruments. The building still stands and is now a restaurant:

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