I was wondering if you chaps might recognise where this 1950's/60's photo was taken because of the rather distinctive Coach Station? I am grateful for any info.
Colin Robinson
21/10/12 - 10:38
I wish I had an answer but I have been looking through many pages of Art Deco
designs, illustrations and pictures but found nothing that looks quite
like it. The picture to me looks like the South Coast between
Littlehampton to Hastings but nothing fits at all. I pondered Bexhill on
Sea because that does have art deco influences but again, that seems not
the answer.
Looking at the people and their dress I'm thinking 1958/9 Brighton
and leaning towards the infamous "Teddy Boy" generation. I've
also tried Margate, Southend on Sea etc. and it looks completely wrong
for any northern location.
I'm not much help except that I think I might have eliminated the
South East or simple search results. We need the luck to find someone
who lived there..wherever it was.
Richard Leaman
21/10/12 - 19:01
My first instinct was to think Blackpool Coliseum, going by the sort of
properties in the background. However, having trawled the net for old
photos, I haven't been able to find an exact 'match'.
There can't have been so many places with a dedicated 'coach'
station, can there?
David Call
21/10/12 - 19:02
Another stab in the dark http://www.geograph.org.uk/ only because of the curvatures. The buildings in the background would seem to be in the sea though. One of the happy holiday-makers may surface and put us all out of our misery ??
Nigel Edwards
21/10/12 - 19:04
This is driving me nuts. When I was a lad my Dad was a rep for an electronic
engineering company and covered most of the UK. During school holidays I
would go with him, sitting in the car outside his calls. I got to see
much of the UK's bus, rail and air transport at the time and I have been
to this coach station - the Moorish figures stick in my mind - but I
can't place it at present. I suspect it's actually in the North of
England.
As to date, I think it's earlier than the late 1950s. The large
floral print dress, the Bobby Soxer look clothing, which started in the
UK later and lasted longer than in the US, of three of the women would
be typical of around 1954-1956 and this could tie in with the haircut of
the man in the hat on the right.
Phil Blinkhorn
22/10/12 - 06:12
It's not Blackpool, the Coliseum is from that period but if memory serves its brick built and the buildings to the rear of it are the bus garage and tram sheds. I've operated out of most of the Coach Stations in the north and this doesn't ring any bells, and just before we have any wise cracks about 'it cant be in the north because its sunny and nobody's wearing a top coat' it does get above freezing up here from time to time
Ronnie Hoye
22/10/12 - 13:20
I daresay that many of us have been racking our brains, without sucess.
The 'PARCELS' sign narrows it down, since only a moderate number
of bus companies carried parcels.
It's certainly a puzzler.
Chris Hebbron
22/10/12 - 15:40
It is only a suggestion because I have know idea but could it possibly be
Skegness or somewhere like that.
I was thinking that Barton's carried parcels and am assuming they
would operate to Skeggy, at least in the summer season.
Eric Bawden
22/10/12 - 15:42
Phil...I've puzzled over the date of the picture trying to pick up clues. The
man and woman to the right look to be wearing button hole flowers so
might it be their wedding day? Then, move left and look at the man in
the light coloured suit but dark hat and he also has a flower. the woman
holding what looks like a white bucket has a hat more like those from an
American Drive 'thru but that "bucket" is a handbag because my
mother had one like it from about 1955 onwards. Then to the furthest
right is the "cool dude" look from the man with the Woodbine
and he looks more like 1964 onwards..maybe he was just ahead of time!
I have books with both US and German Art Deco building design and
it could be from either but the background and lettering confirm it is
in England.
I'll call in the forces of my grey haired old chums in the Vintage
Sports Car Club who enjoy a challenge like this and report back with any
inspiration!
Richard Leaman
22/10/12 - 15:45
Definitely not the splendid Seaton Carew (although that crossed my mind) -
that was only ever a bus station.
One thought - need it be at the seaside? The passengers certainly
have their buckets and spades, but could they actually be setting off
for a day out? If this were to be the case it could be one of the coach
stations established in the outskirts of London in the early days of
coaches. This is just a suggestion - I still have no idea where it could
be!
David Todd
22/10/12 - 15:45
It could be Morecambe's Euston Road bus and coach station which was still in use in a very poor state in the seventies It has now disappeared under new build.
Chris Hough
22/10/12 - 17:20
The lady fourth from the right as a Monkey on her shoulder. Glad this is testing the little grey cells.
Peter
22/10/12 - 17:46
Clues:
1) Art Deco COACH Station, so quite separate from town buses.
2) Seaside, but with houses behind on a higher piece of ground.
3) Moorish statues/lamp holders. Remember Black Boy Road in
Exeter.
Seaside-SW England-Coach Traffic in large numbers.
Try using Google Images for TORQUAY COACH STATION, then look at
the buildings behind. Some have 3 windows between chimney stacks, some
have 2.
My money is on Torquay.
Dave Farrier
23/10/12 - 07:51
Some interesting observations. I had thought of Morecambe and that would
certainly resonate with me as I used to go there regularly until I was
about 8 (1955) but I can't find any period photos.
Skegness also occurred to me but I can't reconcile it to any of
the photos I've found.
I've looked at Google Earth street view of Torquay Lymington Rd
Coach Station. The houses in the background above the buildings in the
photo have 2 windows between each chimney, those behind Lymington Rd
generally have 3 windows between the chimneys on one side of the bus
station, 4 on the other.
The monkey is interesting and opens all sorts of possibilities. Is
the monkey the photographer's? There is a "Photos" sign behind
the woman with the bucket bag so this group may have hired the
photographer. It could be a wedding group but, taking the point about
the "cool dude", I wonder if the group is in period costume
from a theatre group or some other promotional activity at a time much
later than their dress would indicate.
Phil Blinkhorn
23/10/12 - 07:52
I think Dave is on to something. Take a look around 'Beacon Quay' Torquay - Google Earth - buildings at the back with multiple chimney stacks and similar windows. We just-gotta-know, and soon . . . .
Nigel Edwards
23/10/12 - 07:53
Well gentlemen, I can report that my sleuth friends on another motoring Forum
have been scratching heads and only seem to arrive at the same ideas as
us! So let's think laterally..
What could be the significance of those two wooden statues in
beads and African/Indian/Egyptian appearance?
The lady with the monkey and bucket/bag plus the one standing next
to her are wearing base ball caps which was not something I ever recall
in 1950's England.
Could this be a film set so not a real location and the car
wearers be "extras" in some film? I still think the man on the
far right looks more mid 1960's so are we looking at some kind of
recreation of a 1950's American Diner/Station?
Hmmm....more ideas to trace!
Richard Leaman
23/10/12 - 11:05
I can see your thinking, Richard.
However, no disrespect to the group in the picture, but a
casting/costume crew would struggle to recreate such "real"
people as these. It looks like a street vendor photograph ("ready
by 4pm"), probably set up by the Monkey Man in the centre. This is
a huge generalisation, and apologies to our south-of-Watford Gap
readers, but the blokes look like southern "Jack the Lads"
rather than northern working folk.
Although the lady's hats look like baseball caps, I suggest they
are soft caps with peaks. The lad on the right looks like an early Teddy
Boy (the ponytail effect being someone else's hair). The flowers worn by
some suggests a wedding/honeymoon group?
It must be a location where the town rises away from the shore, so
I suggest East Anglian/Essex locations can be ruled out. It seems to fit
Torquay but, like others, I can't find any illustrations of this bus
station with these art deco buildings. If it was Torquay, then they had
gone by the late 1950s. Paignton also looks potential, but the houses to
the rear aren't elevated sufficiently. I think we can rule out Ireland,
and the houses in the rear don't look Scottish.
Please.....someone, somewhere, put us all out of our misery!
Paul Haywood
26/10/12 - 22:25
Just to tell you that this picture has so far completely foxed the members of the VSCC Forumists and tonight I learn that the picture now has gone on to a Forum of Yachtsmen who are good at location identifications. It has gripped the interest of many people who are driven to get an answer.
Richard Leaman
26/10/12 - 23:09
MARGATE!!! The yachtsmen have cracked it! I have just had a message from one
of my VSCC Forumist friends who tells me that a picture exists taken in
the 1930's and that the frontage has been extended sometime during the
1950's. I have asked for a copy of the picture and will send it over
asap!
I've tried Google searches but not yet found it so I'm researching
more! Anyway..PHEW!!! At last!
Richard Leaman
27/10/12 - 09:14
So now we know and here is a picture showing the building when new in the
1934. It was part of the Dreamland Cinema complex which was a beautiful
art deco building and there are lovely pictures of it when new.
Dreamland survives but in a very poor state and badly bodged about but I
read that it is being restored and may be better than the current Google
Earth image. I cannot see anything of the coach station but drivers on
here may know more.
What a shame it has been lost..imagine a line of favourite coaches
lined up dropping off their passengers for a day at the seaside.
The location was finally found by a friend of mine in a Yacht Club
on the Isle of Mull! Now we can all rest.
Richard Leaman
27/10/12 - 09:42
I'm one of the yacht type nuts from the other forum refered to in your hunt
for the mystery coach station. It wasn't actually me that made the
initial discovery as I was taking too long searching through photos of
Dreamland amusement park at Margate.
The photo we came up with was on this page
There are also some aerial views showing a large coach park and a
mock up of the Queen Mary, where I think the station building was
located, or so it appears to me.
Steve
27/10/12 - 11:04
Just to explain that it was not I that tracked down the photo, but "pvb", a member of the Yachting and Boating World forum, living on the east coast. I'm sorry I don't know his name to give him the full credit.
Phil Siddall, Tobermory
27/10/12 - 11:05
Congratulations, Richard! Your name will be toasted throughout the land! Now, all we need are some photos of coaches using this station.
Paul Haywood
27/10/12 - 11:06
Well, I'm glad that somebody has solved this one, but why do I have no recollection of this building despite having visited Dreamland during summer holidays in the 1960s. I didn't take any photos there until the 1970s so perhaps it had been demolished by then or it could just be my failing memory.
Nigel Turner
27/10/12 - 13:26
I'm glad that is solved as I admit to searching out the miniature railway at Dreamland at Margate and never the coach station.
Ken Jones
27/10/12 - 13:28
Thank you so much. I am sorry to have caused you all so much trouble. By the way, the guy in the white T-shirt is my dad. Once again thank you!
Colin Robinson
27/10/12 - 16:57
Colin, your dad is in the white T-shirt, so was the monkey his?
Berisford Jones
28/10/12 - 05:57
No, the monkey must have belonged to the photographer.
Colin Robinson
28/10/12 - 09:11
In the detective work trying to find the location, I studied this picture and
did, as above, finally ponder that this was a staged or film picture. I
noticed the unusual base ball caps that looked wrong for 1950's England
and those odd statues seemed a very strange thing for a bus company to
chose as decoration. However the answer came now that I have read up
about Dreamland and find that the owners wanted to create an American
theme to the park hence did indeed use many US "props". That
explains why the picture has things no doubt handed out by the
photographer such as those hats, the monkey and maybe even the button
hole flowers.
I'm pleased to have been able to get the answer to the mystery and
that is down to the help of Phil (above) and his boating friends.
On to the next!"
Richard Leaman
28/10/12 - 09:12
Well done to Richard and the yachtsmen. However this left me with a personal
puzzle. Margate was one of the few bus/coach stations I didn't visit in
the 1950s/1960s so why did those Moorish figures stick in my mind and
why did I connect the picture with Northern England?
The answer came, of all places, when I was soaking in the bath.
In 1979 or 1980 I attended a presentation at a conference I'd
organised in Manchester on Urban Planning. This dealt with the
development of transport infrastructure and buildings. The presenter
showed pictures of rail and bus stations as part of his theme of how
they had both altered the urban landscape and had followed trends in
building design. For the art deco period he chose a number of LT bus and
underground stations and Margate coach station and made a point about
extraneous decoration, highlighting the Moorish figures as being
extravagant.
I assume because I saw the presentation in Manchester, had become
fixated on the figures, the old memory placed the location in the
North.
Phil Blinkhorn
12/03/13 - 08:26
I remember the Dreamland Bus Station well. I went to Dreamland regularly
during the 1960's and the building matched the Art Deco frontage of the
park that still stands today.
In the sixties hundreds of coaches per day would call and park at this
station (to the left of the people in the picture. In front of them
would be a giant size recreation of the Queen Mary liner and a small
miniature bus would carry around 8 kids at a time around the huge coach
park (for a small fee).
When they dismantled Battersea Park Funfair, they brought The Water
Chute ride which was placed just in front of where the people are
standing in the pic. The Water Chute ride can often be seen in 60's tv
series like The Saint and The Champions.
The monkey in the picture was owned by the photographer who used to use
the monkey to sell photos of it sitting on customers shoulders. He
worked the bus queue passengers.
The Bus Station stood on the site until the early 1980's when it was
demolished to make way for more attractions.
There was a lot of Art Deco buildings on the site all of now gone except
for the seafront frontage which is Listed and cannot be demolished.
Hope this helps.
David Waters
02/03/14 - 15:56
It does appear to be from Margate. I've attached a fairly current photograph. The buildings in the background seem to be the same as those on the original photograph. I think I'd prefer to have gone there when the original photograph was taken.
Brian Purvis
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