Great 1950/60 colour street scenes

[Scalescenes]

In the process of researching my up coming High street shops kit someone kindly sent me a link to this great video, the first half is absolutely crammed full of layout source material...

[Pinkmouse]

C. 1:30ish - Good to see "White Van Man" is obviously a historical phenomenon.

[Scalescenes]

C. 1:30ish - Good to see "White Van Man" is obviously a historical phenomenon.

 

He doesn't look too happy about being cut off by the camera van... road rage 1950's style.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

What strikes me about these excellent views are:

 

1. How clean and tidy everywhere is; no graffiti or rubbish lying around. The place seems "friendly", almost homely. People seem to look after their properties (trim hedges, for example). Everyone seems to be there in the scene for a purpose.

 

2. How neat the streets themselves look without all the excessive and unnecessary road markings and signage of the modern world.

[Scalescenes]

What strikes me about these excellent views are:

 

1. How clean and tidy everywhere is; no graffiti or rubbish lying around. The place seems "friendly", almost homely. People seem to look after their properties (trim hedges, for example). Everyone seems to be there in the scene for a purpose.

 

2. How neat the streets themselves look without all the excessive and unnecessary road markings and signage of the modern world.

 

I agree, having grown up in the 1970's, until I saw this footage I'd just assumed that layouts I had seen based on this era were 'a bit too neat' and 'weathering averse', maybe not...

[petethemole]

I just watched their film of the Great North Road in 1939 . Another evocation of lost environment, the rural main road. Away from bigger towns not much had changed by the mid 1950s when I was a lad. The roadside telephone poles were very noticeable. I can see further visits to the Huntley archive after work, it's a resource I wasn't aware of so thanks for the link.

Pete

[Kenton]

What strikes me about these excellent views are:

 

1. How clean and tidy everywhere is; no graffiti or rubbish lying around.

That is because the streets were regularly cleaned, note at least 2 street sweeps in the short sequence.

Also if you were to drop litter you were liable to a clip round the ear from a bobby who would just appear out of nowhere or an upholding citizen who caught you at it.

 

Steps were scrubbed clean, windows washed, and front gardens kept immaculate because everyone had pride in their appearance.

 

But then the whole pace of life seemed slower, more time to attend to such things.

 

Then came the 60's

[Chubber]

Great material. How 'un-garish' [?] it ll seems....

 

 

Doug

[Penlan]

That is because the streets were regularly cleaned, note at least 2 street sweeps in the short sequence......Steps were scrubbed clean, ....

Until the 1970's there were still highway 'Lengthsmen', who, like the railways, had a 'length' they were responsible for the maintenance of, grass cutting, sweeping etc., etc., be it in an urban area or some remote country road.

 

Scrubbing front steps is a scene in many industrial photo's of vernacular (basic workingmen houses) street scenes, although I don't know on which day they did it - Mondays was wash day. Sundays Chapel...... I can remember my Gran scolding me for stepping on the step just after she'd scrubbed it - pinny on and rolled head scarve in place - all the men in flat caps - they knew their place...

[Penlan]

I was trying to date the video a bit more accurately than 1950's/1960's, the first thing was post 1953, Belisha Beacons arrived in London - I remember this well because I had been in Scotland for 6 months, and returned just before the Coronation to see some installed in Baker Street, we lived close by.

 

Then a couple of Lambretta's hove into view, I expect they were around before the Mods & Rockers riots in the early 60's (1964?), but I didn't catch a glimpse of a mini car introduced in 1959 (there must have been some in London then}

- hem lines too looked to be calf length rather than knee or above (1965 'ish).

 

The street lamps/poles seem to have plenty of yellow bands around them, but these may be left over from the war,

or for those who remember those times, to help during the smogs.

 

I think it's about 1962.

 

The Huntley Collection has been referred to before on this Forum - but it's always worth a second/third or more look.

[Coombe Barton]

Yes, it really was like that. Nice evidence.

[Coombe Barton]

I think it's earlier - as far as I can see there's not a single 60s car. I'd say 1958 as there's no minis.

[Penlan]

I think it's earlier - as far as I can see there's not a single 60s car. I'd say 1958 as there's no minis.

I certainly can't argue with that one, it was the scooters that set me to a later date, but then I hadn't realised they started to be manufactured in 1947/8,

Lambretta, Vespa, Piaggio, etc, all Italian, ironically the idea came from vehicles dropped in Rome by the British parachuters during the war.

 

So 1958/59 then (I can't concede 100%, it's not in my nature B) )

[Red Devil]

They're in front of a Jaguar mkII, according to the blurb, so 1959 onwards.

[trisonic]

They're in front of a Jaguar mkII, according to the blurb, so 1959 onwards.

The night scene is a couple of years later than the first daylight scenes (and even that is split into two).

Even though I was very young I always found the fifties to be oppressive - but that may be hindsight.

The East side of London was way more affected by still existing WW2 bombsites. I can recall some being still there into The Beatles era.

 

Best, Pete.

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

The 'daylight' sequence would be about 1956, given the number of prewar cars about it would be before the introduction of the MOT test in 1959 and no earlier than 1956 when the LD van that appears in one of the shots was introduced. The night time shots are at least ten years later, apart from the Mk II Jag there is also a mini cutting up the Jag, FX4 taxi's and Routemaster buses. Alexandre the tailors went out of business about 1970 so it must have been before then. Does any one know the route taken by the camera truck? I am unable to identify were the daylight sequence was taken but the night sequence appears to be Piccadilly Circus and the west end.

[PhilJ W]

I just watched their film of the Great North Road in 1939 . Another evocation of lost environment, the rural main road. Away from bigger towns not much had changed by the mid 1950s when I was a lad. The roadside telephone poles were very noticeable. I can see further visits to the Huntley archive after work, it's a resource I wasn't aware of so thanks for the link.

Pete

So have I, the brick building at Eaton Socon (2.54 to 3.02) was still there in the 1980's, but by then the road was a dual carriageway and a lot straighter!

[Oldfield_Park]

Some lovely footage there, particularly interesting for someone like me who has no memory of anything pre 1988. I really like the 1930s Great North Road footage too, as there are a couple of shots of my neck of the woods in it.

[Kenton]

The East side of London was way more affected by still existing WW2 bombsites. I can recall some being still there into The Beatles era.

Not just the East End of London. I can remember a school trip to Southampton and another to Plymouth being shocked as a youngster by the seemingly preserved ruins as the concrete monstrosities were poured around them. Nottingham and Coventry as well spring to my mind and I'm sure it was the same in most cities across the UK.

 

I am unable to identify were the daylight sequence was taken

My first thoughts were 1st clip Marylebone Road towards Sussex Gardens, 2nd clip Edgeware Road turns into Kendal Street

 

They passed a WOOLWORTHS so that should narrow it down a bit except it was probably closed in the 70's and replaced with an electrical outlet.

 

Anyway it is the best shot I can offer.

[Coombe Barton]

I can remember a school trip to Southampton and another to Plymouth being shocked as a youngster by the seemingly preserved ruins as the concrete monstrosities were poured around them.

In Plymouth some bomb sites near the Hoe were not redeveloped until the 1970s.

[Fat Controller]

The 'daylight' sequence would be about 1956, given the number of prewar cars about it would be before the introduction of the MOT test in 1959 and no earlier than 1956 when the LD van that appears in one of the shots was introduced. The night time shots are at least ten years later, apart from the Mk II Jag there is also a mini cutting up the Jag, FX4 taxi's and Routemaster buses. Alexandre the tailors went out of business about 1970 so it must have been before then. Does any one know the route taken by the camera truck? I am unable to identify were the daylight sequence was taken but the night sequence appears to be Piccadilly Circus and the west end.

I thought I saw a couple of Routemasters in the daytime shots, about 2'30" in.

Despite the MoT, quite a lot of pre-war cars lasted into the early 1960s, especially as many had spent the duration on blocks.

The only non-British made vehicle I could see was a Renault 4CV- looked a bit like a Morris 1000.

One thing that struck me was how London in the 1950s was like Llanelli in the early 1970s; our local bus operator (Eynons) even bought a pile of ex-LT RTs to help give the impression we were still in a time-warp.

[PhilJ W]

I thought I saw a couple of Routemasters in the daytime shots, about 2'30" in.

The only non-British made vehicle I could see was a Renault 4CV- looked a bit like a Morris 1000.

No they are definitely RT's There is also a VW beetle towards the end of the daytime sequence. The newest vehicles I could identify (Vauxhall Wyvern/Cresta and Austin A50) were only produced up to about 1957, I have identified nothing made after that date.

 

 

 

[andyrush]

So have I, the brick building at Eaton Socon (2.54 to 3.02) was still there in the 1980's, but by then the road was a dual carriageway and a lot straighter!

It's actually at Southoe and its still there. The A1 still has an S bend there, although its now a wide sweeping 70mph dual carriageway sort of S bend !

 

It shows up pretty well on Streetview

 

Andy

[Coombe Barton]

This has now turned into a collective experience of a load of ancient anoraks. I class myself as one.

[coachmann]

Fantastic footage. Glad to have seen this.

 

Makes me laugh when people say the pace of life is much faster these days. B*llocks...that's propeganda to make the daytime TV potatoes feel they should be eating all the things advertised on Tele because of their "hectic" life. They wouldn't survive a month in the 1950s without councilling!

 

Life in the 1950s was hectic, make no mistake. Houswives had to prepare all food manually and cook it the 'long way round'. Washing was mostly by scubbing board, tub and mangle. Nappies were material that had to be washed. No cars to pop into town for most people. Men got up at 6am and walked, cycled or caught the bus to work. They clocked in at 7am and clocked out at 5.30. Saturday mornings were mandatory in many factories and work was hard.....Coal mines, steel yards, ship building, heavy engineering, cotton and wollen mills, bus conducting, steam railway driving, firing, disposing, cleaning. Many of the labouring jobs involved night work. No central heating or double glazing when you got home either. Warm the tub, transfer water to tin bath, then pour in backyard. Go out for "Last pint" at 9.00 then bed for 10pm. It was so different then it must be hard to imagine how it was. Yes streets were cleaner because people had pride, even those with now't had pride and were not forever moaning about innequality.