Midlands industrial town c 1960

[geogphotos]

 

One trouble with this is that I get sucked in and spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out locations. And have failed......

 

The original isn't great but nonetheless.

 

I think it is the Midlands, small engineering workshops supplying factories

 

Green and white double decker buses, one near and one down the street so I assume a regular service into the town centre which is behind us. 

 

Where did they have green and white buses? Route 29

 

 

Shops 'Wedleys' and  'Robinsons'?

 

The shadow suggests that the road is either running from north to south or west to east. 

 

 

 

Court, Corst, Gorts ....Motors Ltd Ford dealership

 

 

Distinctive gasometer and cooling towers of power station.

 

The shape of the gasometer made me think it could be Coventry.

 

Maybe somebody on the forum recognises it??

Edited April 8, 2022 by geogphotos

[Rebecca Ore]

Has Google Images or Google other-stuff been useful at all?   I had a Shenandoah Valley shot from Skyline Drive.   Finally found it on Google Earth or Google Maps (but I had a much smaller area to search) and then found the name of the high school in the foreground.   Can you ID the cathedral in the foreground?

[ReeRay]

It's been a long time but that looks a lot like Birmingham UK. The green and white 29 bus was my main transport from Hall Green where I lived into the City center.

 

I suspect the gasometer is the Saltley gas works. That overview shot looks a lot like the main Stratford (upon Avon) road out of the city en-route to Hall Green

 

p.s. Thanks for the memories !

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by ReeRay

[geogphotos]

Thanks Ray. It does look like Birmingham but I can't find it on Google Maps! Many 

[spacecadet]

Currently Streetviewing along that road and will report any successes.

 

[Mr Standfast]

Somehow that bus is managing without a designated bus lane??? 😉

[spacecadet]

12 minutes ago, Mr Standfast said:

Somehow that bus is managing without a designated bus lane??? 😉

Looking at that street it's also managing with the traffic levels of 1960 when there were a sixth as many private cars driving one-eighth of the distance.

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet

[ReeRay]

Looking from the other direction this church spire seems likely - this is Sparkhill Birmingham - Stratford Road

 

[spacecadet]

15 minutes ago, ReeRay said:

Looking from the other direction this church spire seems likely - this is Sparkhill Birmingham - Stratford Road

 

Unfortunately on close inspection it's a spire rather than tower with pinnacles in the original. The sort of Victorian brick church that may well have been demolished.

[Allan Bell]

St Agathas church Sparkbrook has a similar tower. However we could be searching for a tower which has since been demolished. We need another landmark.

 

Allan

 

Thought I had a different landmark and searched Stratford road end to end without seeing it.

 

ITMA

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Allan Bell

[spacecadet]

9 hours ago, ReeRay said:

It's been a long time but that looks a lot like Birmingham UK. The green and white 29 bus was my main transport from Hall Green where I lived into the City center.

 

I suspect the gasometer is the Saltley gas works. That overview shot looks a lot like the main Stratford (upon Avon) road out of the city en-route to Hall Green

 

p.s. Thanks for the memories !

 

 

 

 

 

Had another though, Saltley works didn't seem to have the waterless gasholder (the non-sinking type on the left) but Swan Lane in West bromwich did,

https://www.nationalgrid.com/gas-transmission/document/134656/download

the alighnment of the gasholders is promising so I tried the High Street there but it's much altered. If we could have a higher res scan it might help.

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet

[ReeRay]

Assuming that is the Saltley gasworks then looking at the map Saltley lies Northeast of Birmingham and, as such, we may be looking at a bus that is travelling into the city and not outwards. This would mean it is not the Stratford Rd. I am not familiar of the continuance of the 29 bus from the city onwards so cannot establish the area it travels.

[Gorilla Dave]

2 hours ago, ReeRay said:

Assuming that is the Saltley gasworks then looking at the map Saltley lies Northeast of Birmingham and, as such, we may be looking at a bus that is travelling into the city and not outwards. This would mean it is not the Stratford Rd. I am not familiar of the continuance of the 29 bus from the city onwards so cannot establish the area it travels.

...i thought your original interpretation was convincing.

The trees are in full leaf; from the shadows the sun is behind our left shoulder, so i reckon it's a summer afternoon looking North to North East - which i think ties in with a view over the A34 Stratford Road somewhere in Sparkhill or Sparkbrook.

GD

[geogphotos]

My brother tells me that the bus looks to him to have the livery of West Bromwich but that doesn't actually help too much because he goes on to say that they ran services into Birmingham.

 

What this has demonstrated is just how much these places in the Midlands have changed since 1960 - literally beyond recognition.

[spacecadet]

39 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

My brother tells me that the bus looks to him to have the livery of West Bromwich but that doesn't actually help too much because he goes on to say that they ran services into Birmingham.

 

What this has demonstrated is just how much these places in the Midlands have changed since 1960 - literally beyond recognition.

That ties in with my thoughts on Swan Lane gasworks. But I can't see a modern match- they can't have demolished everything- can they?

Another thought- where's the photographer? We need another church, probably- it's early for buildings that high.

Yet another thought- a bus forum. Birmingham buses seem to be dark blue and cream.

You're right. This is far too long to be spending on one slide

Eyup- a later model but the right colours, 

http://www.old-bus-photos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/F33-XOF.jpg

on this page and described as West Brom livery

http://www.old-bus-photos.co.uk/?p=21889

 

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet

[spacecadet]

Got it I think

https://www.francisfrith.com/west-bromwich/west-bromwich-farley-clock-tower-carters-green-c1900_w237318

 

on the right of the gasometer image, the chapel frontage and the clock tower, Carter's Green.

Here's the clock tower

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.5242392,-2.0042798,3a,75y,325.77h,81.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqm7TgZfQalUKQLiWtbqeyw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

So, High Street West Bromwich, chapeau to your bro.

 

The two buildings either side of this Streetview

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.5237441,-2.0029289,3a,75y,304.44h,89.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXvWSeqstc6th7bjo2gnP-A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

are in the distance a bit past Court (?) Motors but everything else recognisable, including the church is gone. Can't even name the church.

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet

[Gorilla Dave]

That's a good spot Spacecadet !

If you do google maps on 422 High Street, West bromwich, and spin around, the building containing the Ford dealership with its characteristic frontage is still there - now as Shaftsbury Lounge Bar.

 

The vantage point for the shot might well be the tower at the junction of Lodge Road and Hight Street.

GD

[geogphotos]

Here is the church and clock tower:

 

 

Actually it was West Brom that I was looking at from the beginning ( don't know why I wrote Coventry) because of the distinctive gasometer:

 

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw042878

 

Well done Mark that is exceptional StreetView expertise!!

Edited April 9, 2022 by geogphotos

[spacecadet]

13 minutes ago, Gorilla Dave said:

That's a good spot Spacecadet !

If you do google maps on 422 High Street, West bromwich, and spin around, the building containing the Ford dealership with its characteristic frontage is still there - now as Shaftsbury Lounge Bar.

 

The vantage point for the shot might well be the tower at the junction of Lodge Road and Hight Street.

GD

Oh good darts. I saw that building but it didn't click in terms of scale- part of the right-hand wing has gone.

Good to see a deco style building survive.

Yes, the Town Hall, I was thinking that, and the church where that hideous grey slab now is.

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet

[spacecadet]

11 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

Here is the church and clock tower:

 

 

 

Actually it was West Brom that I was looking at from the beginning ( don't know why I wrote Coventry) because of the distinctive gasometer:

 

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw042878

Quite. There were a few waterless gasometers about but none on that alignment in relation to the conventional ones.

Nothing gets past us eh.

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet

[geogphotos]

Well done team 😆😆

[spacecadet]

2 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

Well done team 😆😆

Line 'em up!

[spacecadet]

57 minutes ago, Gorilla Dave said:

 

 

The vantage point for the shot might well be the tower at the junction of Lodge Road and Hight Street.

GD

I was wrong about the high-rises- in this 1960 Frith photo there's a tower block right in between the town hall and the church.

 

[geogphotos]

It looks like the photographer was on that block of flats between the town hall and the church.

 

https://www.francisfrith.com/west-bromwich/west-bromwich-high-street-1963_w237016

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by geogphotos

[spacecadet]

10 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

It looks like the photographer was on that block of flats between the town hall and the church.

 

https://www.francisfrith.com/west-bromwich/west-bromwich-high-street-1963_w237016

 

 

 

 

Ah, a better picture. But I still can't find the name of the church.

The frame of the earlier gasholder in front is still there (they build flats inside them down here) one still shows its outline,  but the waterless one is now Arnold Clark.

Edited April 9, 2022 by spacecadet