Address Clarification

[joolesbarr]

Hi All

In the 1881 census, my ancestors address is 6 Matthews Tent, Temperance Street, Torquay.  On the same page there is 3, 4 and 5 Matthews Tents as well.
This address is on a Romany ancestry site but I suspect that is because they have done a blanket search for the word tent and just added it.
My question is this, what does the Matthews Tent mean?  In the 1891 and 1901 census, my ancestors are still living in Temperance St/Place but no mention of Matthews Tent.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

Julia

[kmart66]

Hi

Could it mean Matthews Tenement??

Kevin

[KGarrad]

There are quite a lot of "tent"s in that area in 1881.

But also some "Tenements".

[joolesbarr]

Thank you both, by tents do you mean actual tents, like my idea of holiday hell, the canvas types?

[terryleaman]

They were tenements- buildings/houses in multiple occupancy. Although the street still exists, virtually nothing of the old buildings are left. A lot of the land is empty- with plans to redevelop, there is a multi storey carpark, and a former chapel now used by a charity, and I think the old pub is still standing (but last time I was that way it was closed down). Was also the site of the first Torquay Gas Works- site empty at present because of contamination.
Runs behind Union Street, and on the one side at the top you can just about make out the remnants of some of the cottages, most now redeveloped into shop extensions/stores.
There were numerous streets in that area where the population appears very high for the size of street, and they were all rooming houses as in Temperance Street. On the census look at Pimlico, Spring Place, Lower Union Lane they were all the same.