William Alcock was a prominent resident of Port Elizabeth and Walmer in the later 19th century and early 20th century. With eclectic interests such as photography, civic affairs and motor vehicles he was widely known in these circles.
From a professional point of view, what is known about William Alcock, is that he was tinsmith who operated initially at No. 44 Queen Street but later relocated to better premises in Main Street close to Russell Road. This was just the job for the sleuthing skills of the Technical Editor, my brother Blaine, to track down the exact location of these buildings.
Main picture: William & Edwin Building built in 1890 in Main Street. Demolished for VSN Centre
First workshop
Directory and Guide to the Eastern Province of the Cape of Good Hope for 1877
Workshop in Main Street
The main photograph respresents this building. Depending on the reference material used including the various versions of the GOAD map, a different address is provided. In order to unravel this mystery, I assigned Blaine Sherlock McCleland to this grave task. He duly presented an impressive report on the most likely location of this building for which he was duly remunerated with a pat of the back.
Street numbers in Main Street per the G.O.A.D. map
Note that according to this map, Alcock’s workshop was located at number 112
Per Harradine’s HCWC page 102-103
