• The Forums are now open to new registrations, adverts are also being de-tuned.

Photography thread

We've been helping my 94-year old father clear clutter out of his house in preparation for a move to a Assisted Living apartment nearer to us and have found an absolute treasure-trove of old photos. He was always a keen amateur photographer and just as many did in the 1950's & 1960's did his own B&W developing and printing. Here are scans of a few samples.

This is Heathrow Airport when you could park up and take photos from the top of one of the multi-story carparks. Not sure of the year, but I'd guess at early 1960's (edited to add that a quick bit of research about the Qantas livery on the 707 reveals that the particular scheme shown first appeared in July 1964, so that dates the photo to mid-late 1960's):

xzMkA1C.jpg


These two are taken near the Clock Tower in Bexleyheath, south London. The building partially obscured by the bus in the first photo was Hides, a local privately-owned department store:

5tkv1o4.jpg


t9Rg7z5.jpg


This one looks to have been taken outside the workshop of the garage he worked for and are three of his then workmates (note the collars and ties under the overalls!):

4UMpvON.jpg


And finally, this one took a little tracking down in terms of location but it turns out to have been taken from the Fulham Road in west London, with Sydney Street on the right:

xBVr1vI.jpg


This is the nearest I can get to the same view today on Google Street View:

OSaFAkP.jpg
 
Last edited:
We've been helping my 94-year old father clear clutter out of his house in preparation for a move to a Assisted Living apartment nearer to us and have found an absolute treasure-trove of old photos. He was always a keen amateur photographer and just as many did in the 1950's & 1960's did his own B&W developing and printing. Here are scans of a few samples.

This is Heathrow Airport when you could park up and take photos from the top of one of the multi-story carparks. Not sure of the year, but I'd guess at early 1960's (edited to add that a quick bit of research about the Qantas livery on the 707 reveals that the particular scheme shown first appeared in July 1964, so that dates the photo to mid-late 1960's):

xzMkA1C.jpg


These two are taken near the Clock Tower in Bexleyheath, south London. The building partially obscured by the bus in the first photo was Hides, a local privately-owned department store:

5tkv1o4.jpg


t9Rg7z5.jpg


This one looks to have been taken outside the workshop of the garage he worked for and are three of his then workmates (note the collars and ties under the overalls!):

4UMpvON.jpg


And finally, this one took a little tracking down in terms of location but it turns out to have been taken from the Fulham Road in west London, with Sydney Street on the right:

xBVr1vI.jpg


This is the nearest I can get to the same view today on Google Street View:

OSaFAkP.jpg
I find stuff like that totally fascinating. Thanks for sharing your Dad's photos.
 
I find stuff like that totally fascinating. Thanks for sharing your Dad's photos.
Edit:
as a bit of an old-school jet nut, I had to do a bit of noodling around the web and found this history of the particular aircraft in your Dad's Heathrow photo:
VH-EBI Boeing 707-138B
 
Love a bit of B&W. I cut my photographic teeth in the late70's/early 80's with B&W bulk film that I loaded onto 35mm canisters for my Ricoh KR-10 Super. Prior to that I had an old East German 35mm camera (with a dodgy shutter) from my uncle and my dad's old Kodak 35mm non-SLR. I then developed and printed using my father-in-law-to-be's darkroom. Taught me about contrast, and I recall being startled when I applied the B&W contrast approach to colour - such a difference!
 
Edit:
as a bit of an old-school jet nut, I had to do a bit of noodling around the web and found this history of the particular aircraft in your Dad's Heathrow photo:
VH-EBI Boeing 707-138B
Thanks for the link - much appreciated.

Bearing in mind that the version of the V-Jet livery on that aircraft (including the word "Qantas" on the tail fin) first appeared on any of their 707 fleet in July 1964 and VH-EBI had it's last revenue flight on 3rd September 1968, that narrows down the date the photo was taken to within that period.

BTW, glad you enjoyed the photos. I posted them as much for the social history they show as for general photographic interest and if I find any more along those lines (many I've looked at so far are unsurprisingly of family events so not something to share) I'll scan them and post them up.
 
Thanks for the link - much appreciated.

Bearing in mind that the version of the V-Jet livery on that aircraft (including the word "Qantas" on the tail fin) first appeared on any of their 707 fleet in July 1964 and VH-EBI had it's last revenue flight on 3rd September 1968, that narrows down the date the photo was taken to within that period.

BTW, glad you enjoyed the photos. I posted them as much for the social history they show as for general photographic interest and if I find any more along those lines (many I've looked at so far are unsurprisingly of family events so not something to share) I'll scan them and post them up.
The street scenes are terrific; remember Timothy Whites?
With regard to the 707, I did fancifully wonder if it was this event your Dad recorded:
It operated the inaugural Sydney (Kingsford Smith) - London (Heathrow) service via Vienna - March 31, 1965
Probably not, but the dates kind of tie up.
 
The street scenes are terrific; remember Timothy Whites?
Oh yes :)

In the first of the photos taken at Bexleyheath Clocktower, to the front of the bus and partially obscured by the No Entry sign is a sweet shop (and tobacconist, ISTR?) called "Lovells". I used to love that shop as a small child ;)
Probably not, but the dates kind of tie up.
I doubt he'll remember after all these years, but I'll ask him when we next see him. It would be quite a find if it was.
 
First mow of the season for Sankey Valley
The Swans have had six Cygnets this year.
🙂👍
20240507_143112.jpg
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom