Images of the UK yesteryear

[Steve Crook]

Below is a map of Wirral with the black markings showing where bombs exploded one evening during a bombing raid on the Liverpool area.

I've got a similar map for our borough (Merton in SW London) but that includes hits by the V1 cruise missiles and the V2 ICBMs. It also shows a cluster of hits around where each anti-aircraft gun was stationed where the AA shells didn't explode in the air but only went bang when they landed back on Earth

Steve

[Freddy]

In which case Concorde epitomised the cutting-edge ahead-of-the-news style of the then UK and the programme itself. Good job the programme makers chose Concorde instead of the 120mph leaning train to claim how up front Team GB was!

I remember being in London in the 70s, walking up a major high street and Concorde flew over, everybody stopped and looked up, even car drivers stuck in traffic leaned out of the windows. Wonderful, the peacetime equivalent of hearing a Lancaster fly over. I can't think of anything like that today, it's all white goods and i pads, thrillsville arizona.

[Freddy]

I've got a similar map for our borough (Merton in SW London) but that includes hits by the V1 cruise missiles and the V2 ICBMs. It also shows a cluster of hits around where each anti-aircraft gun was stationed where the AA shells didn't explode in the air but only went bang when they landed back on Earth

Steve

Spoke with one old guy who was quite deaf, used to man the big AA guns over the Mersey, due to of the size of the shell they couldn't be used in built up areas because of the damage they would cause falling back to earth.

[Steve Crook]

Spoke with one old guy who was quite deaf, used to man the big AA guns over the Mersey, due to of the size of the shell they couldn't be used in built up areas because of the damage they would cause falling back to earth.

In the London suburbs there wasn't enough open space to have that choice. They would usually site them somewhere like a playing field but even then, quite a few AA shells did damage to the local houses

Steve

[golightly]

Below is a map of Wirral with the black markings showing where bombs exploded one evening during a bombing raid on the Liverpool area.

Didn't know that part of the Wirral had been bombed, surprising.

[Freddy]

Didn't know that part of the Wirral had been bombed, surprising.

The pilot might have seen the railway line and decided to bomb that before heading to the Birkenhead docks. I'd love to know whether it was just one plane's payload. Three for four bombs dropped on Wallasey Golf Club, one crater is now a bunker I believe. If ever you're at the Pier Head look across to New Brighton and you'll see a large church on the hill with a dark dome. That used to be bright copper but was painted over so it could not be used as a land mark. I have a better map of the bombing bu it is 1.5mb, but if anyone wants it pm me and I can e mail it to you.

[Mark O]

I remember being in London in the 70s, walking up a major high street and Concorde flew over, everybody stopped and looked up, even car drivers stuck in traffic leaned out of the windows. Wonderful, the peacetime equivalent of hearing a Lancaster fly over. I can't think of anything like that today, it's all white goods and i pads, thrillsville arizona.

I know what you mean Freddy, I once saw a Concorde fly over Reading once which had just taken off from Heathrow skirting a blue sky, quite a noise it made too, and I once saw one taking off from Heathrow also, so fast it was blink and you'd miss it, I used to like going to the viewing area at Heathrow now and again to watch the activity, alas it's no more thanks to Terrorist scum, another image of the UK of yesterday that can only now be in my memory.

[Steve Crook]

I remember being in London in the 70s, walking up a major high street and Concorde flew over, everybody stopped and looked up, even car drivers stuck in traffic leaned out of the windows. Wonderful, the peacetime equivalent of hearing a Lancaster fly over. I can't think of anything like that today, it's all white goods and i pads, thrillsville arizona.

I used to work in West London in the 1970s. Not too far from Heathrow. When a Jumbo jet took off it made it difficult to hear each other for a few minutes. But when Concorde took off it was impossible to hear anything else at all - but only for a short while.

She was beautiful

Steve

[Mark O]

She was beautiful

Steve

She most certainly was beautiful, I've not traveled on one but I've viewed inside two different ones, not a lot of cabin space but still lovely, I was told Joan Collins was a regular Concorde passenger, she used to always have the front row and also book the seat beside her so she wouldn't have to talk to anyone, surprising really, she usually has plenty to say!..............

[golightly]

It certainly is a thing of great beauty, did you know that Harold Mcmillan changed the name of the British owned ones to Concord because of a minor tiff with De Gaulle, then Tony Benn changed it back to Concorde the French spelling of the word.

[Freddy]

Great photo and as you and Steve say a beautiful lady, the Sylvia Syms of the skys.

[RogerThornhill]

This is a picture of Concorde's last flight, flying over Bristol's Clifton suspension bridge. You can see a large crowd of people gathered around the observatory and some more people on the bridge. In 1968/69 I used to travel to Bristol every week and I often saw Concorde at Filton.

[Arfur Teacake]

Love it, Freddy.
The world's first camper van!
Where were they going - "Maxwell House"?

That looks like a gas powered car ,with the gas container made of old mattresses by the look of it?

the gas was called 'water gas' and contained mostly Carbon Monoxide (which burns)
and of course would have been lethal to anyone in the area if somebody had punctured it.

[Freddy]

From the Daily Mail,

The terrace that time forgot: Domestic life in 1950s Britain captured in the Liverpool home | Mail Online


photographs of the house and studio of Irish photographer Chambre Hardman who lived in Livepool. In 1979 social services became involved as the gentleman was frail and unable to climb the stairs. When they entered his home they found something quite special.

Port Cities: Biography - Biography of Edward Chambré Hardman (1898-1988)

[faginsgirl]

Great pics Freddy I intend to visit the Hardman house one day in the not so distant future.

[Freddy]

That looks like a gas powered car ,with the gas container made of old mattresses by the look of it?

the gas was called 'water gas' and contained mostly Carbon Monoxide (which burns)
and of course would have been lethal to anyone in the area if somebody had punctured it.

[Freddy]

Great pics Freddy I intend to visit the Hardman house one day in the not so distant future.

If you do go the two cathedrals are within easy walking distance, less than 5 minutes. Also have a pint in the Philharmonic pub on Hope Street, beautiful place.

Paul

[Freddy]

The Lion locomotive which appeared in The Lady With The Lamp, Victoria The Great, and of course The Titfield Thunderbolt. She was built in 1837.

The photo below looks like it was taken at Central Station, Liverpool..

[Freddy]

Takwen from the excellent site

http://www.chesterwalls.info/gallery/index.html

Sefton Park, Liverpool. Why the white cones on the heads I don't know. Liverpool Century is still going, formed in 1916.

[golightly]

The photo below looks like it was taken at Central Station, Liverpool..

Central Station and Lime Street were very similar and it's hard to distinguish from this photo but Central had a partition that dropped just above the trains at the end of the shed so I would say that this was Lime Street.