HOW MANY "Ns" AT THE ROW

Good old AD seems to hold many memories for many of us who are now
spread across the world having a well earned rest after what seemed to be a
lifetime in "the Job"......
Time marches on,and the local area has changed markedly of late,what with a
new tube line and new facilities for "POW" built at the corner of Bridge
Street/Embankment.......ST.Stephens Parade as we knew it has long gone.....

So,heres one to get to grips with-HOW MANY Ns AT THE ROW..?
whats he on about I hear you say..??
well,dear reader,are you sitting comfortably..?then I'll begin.......
Many moons ago as a young probationer-wet behind the ears,only been here 2
minutes,boy in the job etc,I can remember being sent "up town"on aid from P
district......standing all day in Bridge Street...if I remember correctly
there used to be
a small "slip road"that ran from Bridge Street along to the nick-the old
AD-.........and I THINK it was CANON ROW....yes, 1 N only.......thought no
more about it till a few years later when I was posted "up town"and ended up
at the new "AD"-must have upset someone along the line.!......and saw that
spelling was different....2 Ns..!
All the Job bumpf referred to AD as CANNON ROW with 2 Ns,but Im sure the
roadsign from all those years back had 1......its long gone now.......
So,can anyone shed some light on this one please....??....maybe the old grey
matter begins to get a little cloudy after a few years,but it would be great
to hear what other pensioners have to say on this and no doubt any aspect of
ADs rich heritage......
Regards Eamon,
(Your roving reporter)
STOP PRESS-Coming soon-I hope-if I can get to grips with modern technology and
"digital"cameras.....?...pictures of what the area looks like
today........many Job pensioners have flown far and wide to warmer
shores....so popping "up town" for the day isnt an option.......
Eamon (Your Roving Reporter)
email Eamon at: alphadeltaplus@gmail.com

REPLY FROM TERRY BROOKS Ex PC. 154'A'

A Researched Answer to Eamon's excellent piece on Cannon Row. (Site two)


Research Source The Survey of London by John Stow first published in 1598

About John Stow :- He was born about 1525 ,the son of a London chandler. Became a tailor; freeman of the Merchant Taylor's Company in 1547.

Charged with Catholic sympathies, 1568 -70 but was acquitted.

He Died 6th April 1605.

Channon Row is mentioned twice in the survey once as here shown and then as Cannon Row see pages 403 and 420 N.B. the index only lists the entries as Cannon Row.

Page 402/3:Beyond this gallery, on the left hand, is the garden or orchard belonging to the said Whitehall.

On the right hand be divers fair tennis-courts, bowling-alleys, and a cock-pit, all built by King Henry VIII.; and then one other arched gate, with a way over it, thwarting the street from the Kings Gardens to the said park. From this gate up King Street (See Plaque on the old Cabinet Office wall facing Parliament Square (T.V.Brooks italics)to a bridge over Long ditch (so called for that the same almost insulateth the City of Westminster), near which bridge, is a way leading to Channon Row , So called for that the same belonged to the Dean and Channons of St. Stephen's Chapel, who were there lodged, as now divers noblemen and gentlemen be. ( i.e. in 1598)

Page 420: On the east side of this court is an arched gate to the river of Thames, with a fair bridge and landing-place for all men who have occasion. On the north side is the south end of St. Stephen's Alley, or Cannon Row, and also a way into the old wool staple; and on the west side is a fair gate begun by Richard the III., in the year 1484, and was by him built a great height, and many fair lodgings in it , but left unfinished, and is called the high tower of Westminster. Thus much for the monastery and palace may suffice. And now will I speak of the gate house and of Totehill street, stretching from the west part of the close.

Conclusion, either Eamon's memory has played a trick on him; or Westminster City Council wrongly named the street Canon Row for a short period. Eamon I leave you to check whether the last, is the case.

N.B. The spelling above is as transcribed from John Stow;s Survey. In those days they wrote and spelt as they spoke.

Sincerely yours Terry Brooks.



STILL NOT SURE?......
How many N's did you think it was then.....?????

The plot thickens.......you may remember my shout for some "assistance"a
while back,asking "how many N's at the Row?"...well then......our esteemed
contributor has provided some very interesting information on the subject,but
guess what..?
the good old A to Z shows it ..or did show it as.....CANON ROW....do what? he
says!
yep,CANON....!
Lets be havin' you then.....what do you think..?is the Whitehall Roving
Reporter losing the plot MP..?
Well,that's all for now folks!!
All cars from M2GW,message concluded.......
Cheers
Your roving reporter from Whitehall. 

email: alphadeltaplus@gmail.com




Dear Eamon,
I still think John Stow is correct. More so than A to Z. The Westminster City Council could have made an error.

However, I was pleased to see your ref to M2GW the MP call sign as that was what it was, when I did my area car attachment on 6C as it was then. In an old square built Wolsey 25; Black of course. This would be about September 1953. They were good old cars very stable and quite fast. However, when I was posted as operator on 6C in 1956 it was in a new Wolsey 680 smart as paint; with Jock McGregor of C division as the driver. He shot Oxford Street on the red from a side street, with the bell going. He did ease off as we crossed the first building line. Nevertheless, I and the observer nearly c*****d ourselves. All this for a domestic in some flats. In those days A Division and C Division shared the Area Car 6 monthly. Crews were often made up of either divisions drivers. Always your own Division for Operator and Observer. It was such an irregular posting that when my best man 197A Ray Brassel went to S division he found that blokes used to moan about being posted to the car, especially night duty. So he volunteered for it and always got it on nights. He never got it on AD's manor. He is in our site in the 'contributons' section but he's mixed up the S & A Div shoulder numbers. Then,he is older than me. All that Vicaring in Toronto & Calgary has clouded his memory but only as far as his Divisional numbers are concerned.

Cheers for now lads Terry Brooks



Dear Eamon,
Thank you for the email published in 'Eamons Corner' I enjoyed it immensely especially being
corrected by Terry Brooks. Thank you Terry (as you read this) for
correcting me. You're correct of course! A197. It quite took me
back to those days. I have so many pleasant memories that one day I'll
be forced to tell you about them.

It was interesting that just the other day I remembered a couple of PC,s
from Cannon (I can't honestly remember whether it was one or two 'N's
then) I met who told me of their plans to move to Canada. I don't
remember their divisional numbers but see them in my minds eye.
Suffice it to say they disappeared from sight. I wonder why I've
remembered them now? It may have sowed a seed in my mind that many
years later precipitated my move to Canada? I wonder if they made it
and if they're still here and if so where?

Terry and I lived in the section house in Rochester Row and the Church
that was up the street was St. Francis and the Rector George Rheindorp
who read my banns. He eventually became a Bishop and visited Canada as
a conference speaker. It's a small world, they say. I never
considered the police in Canada but eventually became an Anglican priest
only to discover that many former British bobbies had done the same
thing. In theological terms I'd moved from Law to Grace, said my Old
Testament professor.

Another of our friends at Canon Row in those days was Gordon Brooks who
attended our wedding. Terry advises me that his number was A474.
Does anyone remember him and, more importantly, where he is now? I'd
appreciate any news.

Just a few notes for now.

By the way! I was known as Brass (as with zz) in those days!

Cheers for now, as Terry says,


Raymond Brassell Ex PC 197'A'/139336
email:brassellr@telus.net
SEE TERRY BROOK'S REPLY ON 'MORE MEMORIES' PAGE. Select from index at top of this page.