Ironbridge riddle of the disappeared cottages

Paul has emailed us two images of The Wharfage at Ironbridge leading to Tontine Hill.

"It's a puzzle for your readers. I'm trying to find out when, and why, the cottages between the old Wesleyan Chapel and the Co-op building were demolished and replaced by the present building," said Paul.

To help you get your orientation, on the black and white image the chapel is at the centre, and the cottages Paul is referring to are just to the right of it, as you look at the picture, and set back from the road.

The date can be narrowed down by the trees which are along The Wharfage – these were planted to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, so on the assumption that they are a few years old, the photo dates from perhaps between, say, 1900 and 1903.

In the undated colour picture capturing part of the same scene, the set back cottages have gone, and the space has been filled in by a building which abuts the road. This building, and the chapel too – it is no longer a chapel – still stand today.

With a bit of research by looking at old photos, we can narrow things down for Paul, as a picture taken of The Wharfage during bad flooding in 1925 shows the cottages are still there, but another picture taken during the bad floods of 1947 shows they had gone by that time and been replaced by the present building.

So... if anyone can pinpoint when those cottages were taken down, and why, do drop a line to toby.neal@shropshirestar.co.uk so we can solve Paul's riddle.