Have you ever looked at a building and thought “What was that?”

The What-Was-That Map is here to shed a little light on the previous lives of buildings and places in and around Kevin Street Library.

This is very much a work in progress, but you are welcome to have a look, be test – pilot and give me feedback on how to make it better.

Where would you find a bomb shelter under a park?

What about the first pneumatic tyre factory in the world?

Where was the video for S-Club 7’s “Don’t Stop Movin” filmed?

Or the 1,500 year old blood and bones of Saint Valentine himself?!

Did you know there was a Zoo and Volcano right on our doorstop?

To go time-travelling with us, click on a location from the list on the left or on the map itself.

If you think we got something wrong or if you know about a place or building that should be on the map, let us know.

If the tag is green, it ready, if it’s not there’s more information on the way so come back soon and see how the map develops.

Oh, and one more thing, if any schools, local historians or anyone at all would like to get involved by researching and sending in another place on the map, i’d love to hear from you. You can email astonesthrowfromkevinstreet@gmail.com. Imagine if the idea caught on and schools, local history groups and others from all over the city, or even the country started adding to it!

For the best experience you’ll need to use google earth. This works really well on tablets and newer mobile devices but you may need to download the Google Earth App first.

You can alternatively use the Google Map below. Click on the symbol in the top left of it for a menu or else click on the location tags to find out more.

The maps is a work in progress. The Google Earth version is more up to date.