I've never seen these photos before. If my late Mother and Father had seen the second one they would have been LIVID with rage. As I've told you, I grew up in the flat above Barclays. On the photo there is scaffolding around what looks like a chimney abuting on to the bank wall. The chimney to its left, I remember it well. It released smoke created by a form of heating oil to provide hotwater for the bottle washers. But the chimney frequently became blocked with a type of soot. A local sweep was called in, but he couldnt get his rods and brushes up the chimney because the boiler had been erected very close to the outside wall. So, what did they do? They knocked a small hole in the outside wall and pushed the rods first of all outside, and then back inside up the chimney. The only trouble was the bank flat had a nice secluded garden, virtually surrounded by walls. A nice suntrap. My Mother was sat on a deckchair in complete privacy. That was---until all of a sudden a sooty pole appeared out of the wall nearly knocking her off the chair. Needless to say, Mum and Dad didnt think much of Westwells.
