The Past of Cities

[hitmouse]

Dubai

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I suppose the 16 lane dual-carriageway cycle path is progress.

 

[KiraAnn]

Dubai

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Is it just me, or does the sky in 2023 look more polluted?

 

[Harpo]

East London

 

[sknox]

Well that's unfortunate.

 

[Dave]

1953

 

[Dave]

1926

 

[Dave]

1811

 

[Dave]

2000 BC

 

[Dave]

One Million Years BC

 

[Harpo]

That isn’t London.

 

[Dave]

That isn’t London.

Yes, it is. It's Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. That's 16.7 miles from Greenwich Park. Just below her left elbow.

 

[Dave]

Step back in time to 1935 with the first-ever Shell Film Unit documentary, which provides a captivating glimpse into the bustling life at Croydon Airport, the primary international airport serving London at the time.

I can help but see Harry Enfield in his mockumentaries when I now watch these kind of documentaries.

 

[Foxbat]

I can help but see Harry Enfield in his mockumentaries when I now watch these kind of documentaries.

Definitely Harry Enfield material
Just thought I’d throw in a fascinating fact: Douglas Bader flew for Shell after the war and went on to manage their aircraft division.

Great thread folks. I’m really enjoying all those old city shots

 

[Pyan]

Talking of airfields and Harry Hill, there's a great 2-part series on the BBC iPlayer about Britains dominance in jet aircraft from the end of WWII to the 70's, with particular reference to Farnborough Air Show. Worth watching just for the drum-beating.

Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies

 

[Pyan]

Back to the cities - Southampton docks, pre WW1, and in the '30s.

The dam across the bay is complete here, but the landfill and infrastructure that's there today is yet to be completed. The big white building at top right is the clock-tower and the rest of the brand-new Civic Centre, which I always think looks as if it was designed by Albert Speer...

 

[hitmouse]

Growing up in Soton, the civic centre was one of those presences in the middle of town. It had a library, an art gallery, a large auditorium where we had our school speech days and saw concerts (Menuhin & Grapelli) and Gilbert & Sullivan, a police station, and the civic offices. My father, who was into local history, used to visit the town archivist in the bowels of the building. We had sixth form parties in the Solent Suite, somewhere in there. And when Labour took the council from the Tories, the lights in the clock tower changed from blue to red.

 

[Pyan]

It had a library, an art gallery, a large auditorium where we had our school speech days and saw concerts (Menuhin & Grapelli) and Gilbert & Sullivan, a police station, and the civic offices.

Still the centre for most of these, plus the Titanic Museum, added on to the northwest corner where the police station used to be - imaginatively, they turned the old cell block into the museum toilets, first disabling the cell-door peep-holes!

They moved the main police station to a purpose-built state-of-the-art building down toward the west side of the city. Unfortunately, the builders misinterpreted "purpose-built state-of-the-art" to mean "leaks-like-a-sieve, shoddily built and freezing in winter/roasting in summer." There's also a persistant rumour that there's a significant amount of RAAC in the walls and roof, as well.

 

[Harpo]

Los Angeles 1901 & 2001

 

[Pyan]

At least you can see the mountains again - 1970s.

 

[Harpo]

Approximate locations only