The cobbles

[mike74]

Does anyone know if the cobbles in mitre square are the original ones?

[Monty]

Hi Mike,

Not certain if they are. If you compare the 1924 photo with recent ones you will note that the cobbles are set differently. Obviously something has happened (I suspect around the mid 80s) where either new cobbles were used or the originals re set differently.

Cheers
Monty


PS Im sure Rob and Nats would like to take this debate on.

[The Grave Maurice]

Philip is the guy we want, gentlemen. He's discussed this point a couple of times on these boards. The train to Guildford must be running late tonight. (And don't let him hear you calling them "cobbles".)

[George Hutchinson]

Philip is the guy we want, gentlemen. He's discussed this point a couple of times on these boards. The train to Guildford must be running late tonight. (And don't let him hear you calling them "cobbles".)

Well done, GM. SETTS!

I'm actually not in Guildford right now - I'm with my parents on the Isle of Wight. My computer is in for repair anyway, so I'm using theirs.

I have done a lot of study at Mitre Square with loads of old photos and seeing the modern ones in situ.

There may well be original setts left there, but they are not in the same places if they are and there's certainly original ones gone. In the 1938 William Stewart photo of the SE corner, you clearly see some very long individual setts in the image. Quite a few, in fact. There's nothing like that in Mitre Square now. Also, they run in the other direction today.

About a year ago, a two-squared metre patch of the Square on the central western side was relaid. There's no evidence of the setts looking different in that spot today.

The width of the setts is similar, but the lengths of some and the positions of everything notable suggests to me that we may have some original stones but in the slightly unlikely possibility that we have, it will be a fraction of those there today and possibly none in the same position.

PHILIP

[Monty]

Apologies, didnt realise my use of 'cobbles' would cause such angst and confusion.

Monty

[George Hutchinson]

No angst and confusion, Monty. It just gives me a rare opportunity of feeling superior!

PHILIP