Blue plaque on Top Hat Terrace
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Blue plaque on Top Hat Terrace by Mat Fascione as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Blue plaque on Top Hat Terrace
Image: © Mat Fascione Taken: 15 Jan 2017
Top Hat Terrace on London Road was originally known as Victoria Terrace when built in 1864. It acquired the name Top Hat Terrace because of the sixteen stone heads that adorn the front of the building. The nickname Top Hat Terrace comes from the top hats worn by the police until 1872 and all of the 16 heads represent Detective Inspector Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith in various disguises. When he eventually retired from the Police Force, Tanky set himself up as a private detective and his most famous assignment took place when he was hired by the Winstanley family of Braunstone Hall to find James Beaumont Winstanley who had disappeared whilst touring in Europe. Tanky was richly rewarded for his efforts and invested his money in building Victoria terrace on London Road.
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Image Location
Latitude
52.628165
Longitude
-1.122238