Main Street
Main Street was obviously regarded at one time as one of the most important street in town hence the name. It runs down from Westgate, across the River Don by Corporation Bridge and out to Masbrough. At one time Westgate Station (Railway) was at top but this is long gone and the GPO Sorting Office occupied the site until 2004. On the other side of the road was the continuation of the Co-op Building and next to that was the Main Rotherham GPO and telephone exchange. The Post Office was sold off when the new one was built on Bridgegate. It contains suites of offices whilst the building in the yard at the back is The Exchange (at one time Yates Wine Bar).
On the corner of Main Street and Market Street were the Old Baths. Originally this was just Rotherham Baths but succeeded to the title 'Old Baths' when the new ones were built on Westgate. I learned to swim here despite being scared rotten of water. There was a swimming pool and Turkish Baths but I'm not sure there were any other facilities. I believe that Rotherham Library was situated on the upper floor at one time. There was a major disaster here some time in the 1960s and the Old Baths were badly damaged by fire or storm and demolished soon afterwards. There were lock-up garages here for a while but then it became a car park. In 2006 this car park was closed and a development of apartments and shops called Keppel Wharf now covers the site.
