Hunt is on for Cirencester's top ten telephone numbers! (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Hunt is on for Cirencester's top ten telephone numbers!

RECENTLY, readers of the Standard's The Way We Were column were asked if they could identify the private individual or business premises whose telephone number was Cirencester No 1.

This came from a reader's enquiry after he had discovered an advertisement for Baily and Woods shop in Cirencester Market Place. This gave the telephone number for the shop as Cirencester No 4.

This set us off following a few leads which have brought some results although, as yet, not Cirencester No 1.

Whilst not wishing to be equated with collectors of other numbers requiring the obligatory wearing of the anorak or attempting to reconstruct the telephone directory, we thought in view of other numbers discovered by our investigations that we might attempt to find the top ten telephone numbers for Cirencester.

So far, in addition to No 4, we have at No 2 the premises of John Jefferies and Sons, the florists whose shop for many years occupied 2 Castle Street.

At No 3 we have, in the late 1930s, Charles Edwin Hitch at Chesterton Farm.

As yet, Nos 5 and 6 are unknown, but 7 was Mullings Ellett and Co, solicitors, 12 Park Street and No 8, Dale Forty and Co. Ltd whose piano and music shop was next door to Baily and Woods at 23 The Market Place.

At No 9, who else could it be in the top ten than the Standard?

Like Nos 1, 5 and 6, Cirencester 10 is still to be located, so there is still work to be done, but it would seem that they are probably the numbers for business premises, perhaps the post office itself was No 1?

If you can help, let us know via the Stories link on this website.