Main Street
including The Statutes & Don 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 (now offices).
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 it is now a car park. In 2006 this car park has closed and there is a development of apartments and shops is under way.
The Statutes
If you cross over Corporation Bridge, on the right is the police station and magistrate's courthouse erected in the 1970s to replace those in the town centre. These were built on an open area known as the Statutes where the Statutes Fair had been held for a very long time. There was a lot of argy-bargy there was about it, but the building went ahead and the Stattis (Statutes) Fair ceased to be held. These are modern buildings of no merit or beauty but there is a very nice brick mosaic incorporated into the wall of the Court House.
and Magistrates' Court
There is a pleasant canal-side walk along here.
Don Street
Don Street runs off Main Street southward on a course virtually parallel to the river and canal and is a no through road. New plans are in the pipeline to redevelop the old Guest and Chrimes factory site off Don Street for new council offices. Rotherham College of Arts and Technology has declined to move their new college to this site so things are still a bit up in the air.
The office frontage of the old Guest And Chrimes building has listed status and it high time something was done with it. Much of the site is now a pile of rubble.