for better for worse location

[paul welsh]

here is a puzzler. in my role as historian for elstree studios have been asked for a location used in a 1950s film called 'for better for worse' starring dirk bogarde
a location scene involved a second hand car garage in the background with the name simpson motors. possibly north london ?
any ideas ?

[mariocki]

Could be the Simpson Motors who were at 341 High Road, Wembley. Does the person asking know what sort of cars were on display by chance? The company used to specialise in American and Australian imports but went out of business a long time ago.

[Alan F]

It's on a corner, at a light controlled crossroads, and one of the roads was a trolleybus route. All we have to do is follow the course of every trolleybus route in north and west London until we find it.

[Rick C]

In the first of the above images there looks to be the side-on view of one of our dearly beloved vanished cinemas. Not quite the Regal at Edmonton but maybe one of the Regal or Granada family somewhere?

In the bottom photo there's a cafe (?) in the background. Many cafes in that era used to be named "(something) Corner" to help personify the junction where they were located.

[Mo B Dick]

It's on a corner, at a light controlled crossroads, and one of the roads was a trolleybus route. All we have to do is follow the course of every trolleybus route in north and west London until we find it.

Is that not Peter Jones doing his used car salesman again?
The cars on display are the type (eclectic) that Simpsons dealt in.

[Elaine]

That's Peter Jones alright. Ever the car saleman, who had a heart of gold and gave Tony and Susan an extra tenner for the old wreck of a car Tony was selling to get money for his wedding.

[Alan F]

All we have to do is follow the course of every trolleybus route in north and west London until we find it.

Well that didn't work, but I now know why.
Last night, while I was watching an episode of Channel 4's "The House The 50s Built", this popped up.



Charles Simpson Motors, across the road William Moss & Sons and between them trolleybus wires.
A search of both companies revealed that William Moss & Sons had premises on the North Circular Road in Cricklewood and that Charles Simpson Motors were on the corner of the North Circular Road and the Edgware Road.

So this:



became this. Staples Corner.



Although the area has totally changed, the two flyovers are built on the line of the original roads (in the case of the A406, near enough), so Charles Simpson Motors would have been roughly where the arrows are.

In the first of the above images there looks to be the side-on view of one of our dearly beloved vanished cinemas. Not quite the Regal at Edmonton but maybe one of the Regal or Granada family somewhere?

In the bottom photo there's a cafe (?) in the background. Many cafes in that era used to be named "(something) Corner" to help personify the junction where they were located.

A map on the Old Maps website shows that building to be a matress factory, but it also shows that you were spot on with your second point, the road in front of the shops was (something) Corner, but the print is too small to read the name.

Edit. Of course it might say Staples

[tavistock]

Good work Alan, it was named Staples Corner after the mattress company http://www.staplesbeds.co.uk/?elemen...age&id_page=62