Western Union Telegraph Office

Yes this is Green Bank Alverton Road. Next door is called the Sycamores built 1908 for retired bank manager jabez bunt.Alverton court 2002 formally Western Union Cable station built 1912 closed 1965... I can t remember what this is called today... anyone else help please?

Definitely Penzance! Along Alverton Road at the bottom of Kings Road. Treeve will fill in the details!

was at one time the cable office

Western Union Cable Office???

But don t get treeve started on the loss of the granite wall!!

Western Union originally had premises at Trewithen Road, moved next door but eventually needed fresh premises. Henry Maddern (Penzance architect) designed the new building that you see above, next door to Sycamores. It was built in 1912. It eventually closed in 1965; as a part of this I am in the process of researching the Western Union cable marker further along the road. I am making headway. It is absolutely remakable to see that this is freshly completed, with the stone hedging exactly as it should be built. The trees were cut back to prepare for the new building instead of the modern idiotic practice of removing them. Thank you so much for adding this, despite the lack of architectural design and details more in keeping with Penzance, this is an important part of our history, despite the lack of support and enthusiasm apparent from the current planning department.

The premises in Trewithen Road were at Amherst. My mum still lives there. Mum and Dad purchased the house from Jarvis the solicitor in 1963.

I was going to do a post on it, but in the circumstances, I will leave it.

As chillywilly says, Western Union s Cable Station was in Amherst at first opening (before 1880), in 1895 they moved to Langnor (OS description), so it took a good 15 years to outgrow their premises. When I have completed my research into Western Union s part here, I will post that up as well.

As young boys in the late 1950 s, a friend and I went exploring around this building. We found that the back was open and entered the glasshouse. There were vines with ripenig grapes (White) allk around and we found that the rear door was not locked. We went all around the inside of this building, from basement to loft. There was no furniture, just large empty rooms. As young lads we never thought about what the building represented, to us that it was another place to explore. We left it as we found it. I do not think that would happen nowadays.