Berry Street

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Berry Street’s name might conjure up pleasant images of juicy fruits, but according to tradition the name’s origin is darker. The Great Plague, or Black Death, first struck in Britain in London in spring 1665. The first cases in Conwy emerged fairly soon afterwards. Bubonic plague was spread by fleas on rats, and may have arrived in Conwy from a visiting ship.

Before long, deaths from the Great Plague in Conwy had become so frequent that the normal burial process was overwhelmed. It’s said that a mass grave was dug in the northernmost corner of the walled town, where Berry Street now lies, and that the street’s name comes from the verb ‘to bury’. In keeping with this gruesome story, some residents of the street have claimed that this area has its own ghost!

Photo of Berry Street Conwy in 1937A 1776 map, revised in 1810, applies the name Burial Street to what are now Berry Street and Chapel Street. Plans for the sale of the Bodlondeb estate in 1866 show Berry Street as Bury Street.

However, the origin of the street’s name probably pre-date the plague by centuries. Bury is a variant of the Old English word byrig or burh, which denoted a dwelling within a fortified enclosure such as a walled town.

The old photo, courtesy of Conwy Archives Service, was taken by Walter Harris in May 1937. It shows flags and bunting in Berry Street to celebrate King George VI’s coronation. The soldiers, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, are parading from Bodlondeb. The men at the front are the regiment’s ‘pioneers’, wearing ceremonial white buckskin aprons and gauntlets while carrying traditional tools.

With thanks to Ray Castle and Adrian Hughes, and to Galleon fish & chips restaurant for hosting the QR codes

Postcode: LL32 8DG    View Location Map

Website of Conwy Archives Service

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