Once again, I am using some fairly old scans on this "Anything Goes Saturday". The images are from Yurp!
How's this for an impressive photo? That bridge is waaaaay up there! And it is cool to see the old steam locomotive chugging along. There was no indication of where this was (and there was no date on the slide), but I eventually determined that this is the Forth Bridge (it crosses the Firth of Forth - let the puns begin!) in eastern Scotland. The track runs roughly 150 feet (46 meters) above the water.
Here's the Forth Bridge under construction; it opened to rail traffic in 1890. For nearly 40 years it was the longest single cantilever bridge in the world. Quite the engineering marvel!
Here's a vintage postcard; if you look in my scan you'll see a small cupola in the lower right... that same structure is visible on this postcard!
This next shot is a look at Piccadilly Circus, the famous roundabout in London's West End. There are no monkeys at this circus, however. Just lots of cars, and some gigantic advertisements. Bovril! Coca-Cola! Schweppes! Slim Jims! Just kidding, no there were no Slim Jims to snap into in 1953. As far as I know.
The fountain is known as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, with Anteros (Eros' brother) perched on top. Lord Shaftesbury was a politician and philanthropist, but he did not have a Disneyland photo blog, so I am not that impressed.
I like that bridge shot! From that angle and distance, it almost looks like it could be a miniature from an old movie. Major Shaftesbury? Lord Pepperidge? I forgot to mention that the name General Pepperidge (from yesterday's post) made me think of the 1980's song, "Generals and Majors" by the British group, XTC.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wikipedia Slim Jims were invented in 1929 although mass production didn't begin until 1940. So it is possible, if unlikely.
ReplyDeleteTM: (sings) "Generals and majors always.....seem so unhappy 'less they got a blog..."
The b&w postcard of the Forth Bridge under construction is awesome! I love construction pics of massive engineering marvels. Also like the 150 high trestle color shot. Extra nice post today. Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos today, Major. I never would have guessed that that first shot was the Forth bridge, given it doesn't show any of the more recognizable humps. The image of Piccadilly Circus is great too. I especially like the white-gloved traffic policeman in the lower left. Although the area looks pretty much the same today, the details have changed considerably. The building behind the signage has been replaced in the intervening decades, but the Trocadero, to the right, is still standing. The white tower you can see up Shaftesbury Avenue just to the left of the Eros statue and fountain is the Gielgud Theatre, which at that time was known as the Globe Theatre. They moved the statue to the side of the roundabout several decades ago (not sure when excatly but it was before I moved to London almost thirty years ago) and so traffic no longer goes around the circus. And just in the past few weeks they've replaced the giant video advertisements with one huge video screen which – in a sign of the times – is able to guage the demographics of the drivers and passersby and display targeted ads. No, I'm really not making that last bit up. Aren't we lucky we live in such enlightened times!
ReplyDeleteOn reflection, the Trocadero is tucked out of sight behind that building to the right of the statue. The building we can see in the photo housed the Pavilion theatre whose pediment can be seen beneath that tall aerial. This was one of the main West End cinemas during the mid-twentieth century and hosted the world premieres of such films as Dr. No and A Hard Day's Night. In the photo just beneeath the pediment we can see the lettering in red and white displaying the current feature but I can't make the wording out. The facade still stands but the inside was gutted during the 1980s and the complex has hosted various tourist attractions in the years since.
ReplyDelete@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteCan't you just hear Fred MacMurray singing...
♪ Generals and Majors ah-ha
They're never too far
From assembly lines so glorious.
Out in a world of their own
Inventing new motors,
Designing new rotors ♬
Oh, brother - now you've got me doing it. Help-!!!
@ Pegleg Pete-
Thanks for the great 'history' of Piccadilly Circus. Such an iconic scene.
And thank you, too, Major, for these great images. Gotta love the Forth Bridge-!
Ahh, British railway engineering marvels. They set the standard for the rest of the world to follow.
ReplyDeletePeglegPete, was it the Trocadero where Maurice Mickelthwaite, on the phone to his agent and looking about, desperately needing a stage name, chanced to note on the marquee that The Caine Mutiny was playing?
I'd never heard that story, Chuck! A quick internet search turned up a Guardian interview from last year where he tells the story. Alas, he was not opposite the Pavilion apparentlym but rather the Odeon in Leicester Square. The Odeon is still one of the main first-run cinemas in the West End but the original 1930s building has been remodelled almost out of all recognition in the year's since its opening. At least it's still a cinema, though – unlike the Pavilion.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I love that band and that song! Saw them live for the “Black Sea” tour (that album had “Generals and Major” on it), shortly before Andy Partridge swore off touring.
ReplyDeleteScott Lane, I had the feeling that Slim Jims had been around for a lot longer than I ever knew. Now I have that song (a great song, admittedly) totally stuck in my head!
K. Martinez, yeah, that construction photo is mighty impressive. Hard to believe what people can achieve when they put their minds to it.
Pegleg Pete, I can’t recall if you mentioned that you lived in the UK (though you probably have)! Believe me, it took some investigating to discover what bridge was in the photo, since I originally assumed it was in the U.S.A. Wow, you sure know your Piccadilly Circus! Thanks for all of the cool info. So, pardon me if I am forgetting something I should have known, but do you still live in England? That makes me an INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR!
Pegleg Pete II, by the way, for some reason I was disappointed that traffic no longer goes around in a circle. Meanwhile, somewhere I have a jpeg of a color photo of the premiere of “A Hard Day’s Night”, I’ll need to find it and compare it. It’s killing me that I can’t make out the marquee in this blurred photo! Maybe if I go back and apply Photoshop’s “sharpen” filter I will be able to discern the letters.
Nanook, if this was a 60’s TV show, Fred would be wearing a bad Beatle wig, for sure (and strumming a guitar in the most unrealistic manner possible). And maybe he’d be wearing some love beads or a peace sign.
Chuck, is that where Michael Mutiny got his stage name??
Pegleg Pete, huh, until I checked Wikipedia, I was sure that ol’ Chuck was pulling our collective legs. And I also see that Michael Caine already said the joke that I thought was so clever (“Michael Mutiny”).
Right on.
ReplyDeleteThey say this cat Lord Shaftesbury is a bad mother-
*Shut your mouth!*
But I'm talkin' 'bout Lord Shaftesbury!
*Then we can dig it.*
He's a complicated man,
But no one understands him but his sculptor.
*Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Lord Shaftesbury.*