Jayne Mansfield……

…… flaunting her assets at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London, September 1959

Read Full Post »

On This Day in 1952 – London Fog Clears After Days Of Chaos

Sunshine has returned to the capital following four days of dense fog in which London transport was brought to a standstill. The atrocious conditions led to widespread disruption of rail, road and air services and affected shipping on the River Thames.

As freshening winds and milder temperatures dissipated the fog today London buses and coaches ran normally but still with some delays on the Southern Region railway.

The fog, which began on 5 December, also affected other areas of the south-east, with icy roads causing several road accidents. Ambulance men and firemen had to walk ahead of their vehicles to reach those in need. It also spread as far as northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

A cross-channel ferry carrying 300 passengers from Folkestone to Calais was 15 hours late. The ship had to anchor off the French coast, unable to get into port due to poor visibility.

Virtual shutdown

Fog descended on London once again yesterday evening at the end of a relatively clear day.By 18:30 London Transport reported a virtual shutdown of its north-east London service and nearly all buses were out of action.

Only the London Underground was still running, but as buses stopped running once visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards this too became congested.  At Stratford, on the Central Line, 3,000 people queued for tickets.

London Airport was also severely affected – BOAC reported just two departures and four arrivals yesterday. All other flights were diverted to Hurn, near Bournemouth and passengers were taken by train to Waterloo.

Crime spree

The severe weather conditions led to a rise in crime as robbers used the cover of fog to break into houses and shops and attack and steal from Londoners making their way home in the darkness.

The weather even affected cattle brought into Earls Court in preparation for the Smithfield Show. Farmers spent hours trying to reach the capital and when they finally arrived found many livestock had breathing difficulties. At least one animal died.

Opera and football cancelled

There was no escape from the fog inside either, as it seeped into buildings as well as filling the streets. Last night, the Sadler’s Wells theatre had to end a performance of La Traviata after the first act because the auditorium had filled with fog.

The fog also took its toll on several sporting events. A University Association Football due to take place at Wembley was postponed. It is the first time any fixture has been cancelled at the stadium since it opened in 1923.

Most rugby matches were cancelled and no Association Football League matches took place in London

In Context

In the weeks following what became known as the Great Smog of 1952, it emerged that at least 4,000 people had died as a direct result of the weather.

They were mostly the elderly, the very young and those with respiratory or heart problems.

The main causes of the smog were by-products of coal-burning that had reached exceptionally high levels combined with high pressure, near-freezing temperatures and very light winds that meant the smog lingered for several days.

The authorities realised that drastic action was needed introduced the Clean Air Act in 1956.

It restricted the burning of domestic fuels in urban areas with the introduction of smokeless zones, but heavy fogs continued for some time after the Act while residents and operators switched to new sources of energy.

The Act was revised in 1968 when industries burning coal, gas or other fuels were ordered to use tall chimneys. In 1974 the first Control of Air Pollution Act introduced regulations on the composition of motor fuels.

By the 1980s and 1990s the increasing use of the motor vehicle led to a new kind of smog caused by the chemical reaction of car pollutants and sunshine.

The 1995 Environment Act introduced new regulations for air pollutants.

Text from BBC’s "OnThisDay"

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 16

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL – This is Little Dean’s Yard, around which the main buildings of London’s most famous public school are grouped. The school (or St Peter”s College, as it is also called) dates back to the 14th century, but was refounded by Queen Elizabeth in 1560. From the early 17th century until 1884 almost all the boys were taught in the one great schoolroom, the upper school being divided from the lower school by a curtain hung over the oak beam, over which the pancake was tossed in the Shrove Tuesday ceremony. Among the headmasters of the school were Nicholas Udall, author of Ralph Roister Doister, Williamj Camden, the antiquary, and Dr Busby, famous both for his library and the floggings he carried out during his long headship from 1638 to 1695. Among the distinguished pupils were Ben Jonson, Hakluyt, Dryden, Wren, Southey, Warren Hastings, Gibbon, Froude, Charles Wesley, Matthew Prior and William Cowper.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 13
• London Anno 1959 – Part 9
• London Anno 1959 – Part 7
• London Anno 1959 – Part 15
• London Anno 1959 – Part 14
• London Anno 1959 – Part 11
• New post Series – London Anno 1959

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 15

LOOKING DOWN WHITEHALL -The statue, seen just to the right of the Big Ben tower, is of the Duke of Cambridge, who lived from 1819 until 1904 and was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army from 1856 to 1895. The sculptor was Adrian Jones, he was also responsible for the Quadriga in Constitution Hill, the Royal Marines monument in the Mall and the Cavalry War Memorial at Stanhope Gate, Hyde Park and it stands almost opposite the Horse Guards, where the Duke worked for so many years. This was before the present War Office was erected on the other side of the street. Many other government buildings are also in Whitehall, including the Admiralty, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Treasury. The first building on the left in this picture is the Banqueting House, designed by Inigo Jones for Whitehall Palace, while behind the tree on the right of the picture the Cenotaph can just be seen.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 11 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 10 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 6 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 5 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 3 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 12 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London At A Glance 1944

Video found at travelfilmarchive

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 14

THE ST JAMES’S PARK BRIDGE. This is the new bridge over the St James’s Park lake about which there was much controversy when it was proposed to replace the old chain bridge erected in 1857, An anonymous testator had left a sum of £20,000 to be spent on erecting a new bridge and, under the terms of his will, the money could not be used for the much-needed repairs to the old bridge. Preparatory work began on the new structure in December, 1956, and it was opened to the public on 5th October, 1957 – after twenty guardsmen from nearby Wellington Barracks had tested its stability in various ways, including crossing it at the double. From both the old and the new bridges a delightful view of the elegant government buildings across the Horse Guards Parade may be obtained. The present lay-out of St James’s Park, which has been a royal park since the 17th century, is due to John Nash.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 7 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 8 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 3 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 13

CHANGING THE GUARD

‘They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace;
Christopher Robin went down with Alice … .’

Many people think of the catchy little tune to A. A. Milne’s words when they happen to be passing the Palace at the time when the Queen’s Guard is being changed. The ceremony of the changing, with one of the Guards’ bands playing in the forecourt, is always one of the most popular of London’s ‘free shows’. The duty of providing the Guard is undertaken in turn by the various regiments of Guards and occasionally, as a special privilege, by other British or Commonwealth regiments. The guardsmen seen here belong to the Coldstream Guards, distinguished from other regiments by the fact that their tunic buttons are grouped in pairs.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 11 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 10 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 6 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 5 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 3 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 12 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 12

BUCKINGHAM PALACE  – The Victoria Memorial is seen again in this picture, with the statue of the Queen facing down the Mall, which was a comparatively narrow road in her day. Nowadays the Household Cavalry may often be seen proceeding down the processional way from Knightsbridge Barracks to the Horse Guards for a period of duty. These are men of the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), distinguished from the Life Guards by their blue tunics and red plumes. Buckingham Palace has been a royal residence only since 1762, when George III bought the house from the Duke of Buckingham. Between 1825 and 1836 Nash remodelled it for George IV and just before the first World War the present facade was added to the design of Sir Aston Webb. King George V was so pleased with the appearance of the Palace that a special dinner was held there to which all the workmen responsible were invited.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 11 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 10 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 6 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 5 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
  London Anno 1959 – Part 3 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• On This Day In 1953 – Queen Elizabeth Takes Coronation Oath (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London’s Tramways (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• The Illustrated London News (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• Royal Boychilderen In Skirts. (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 11

THE VICTORIA MEMORIAL – The Memorial stands in front of Buckingham Palace, as may be seen in the next part. Here the north-west side is shown, with the Mall running to the left and in the background Victoria Tower and the towers of Westminster Abbey. The designer of the Memorial was Sir Aston Webb, while the sculptor was Sir Thomas Brock, who was also responsible for the Captain Cook statue by the Admiralty Arch. The topmost figure in gilded bronze represents Victory, with Courage and Constancy at her feet. The Queen in state robes is seated facing the Mall (the orb in her left hand can just be seen) and round the pedestal are marble groups typifying Justice, Motherhood and Truth. At the four corners, below the sculptured groups, are ships’ prows also in marble. At the unveiling ceremony Thomas Brock, the sculptor, was knighted.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 10 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 6 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 5 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 3 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• (exploringlondon.wordpress.com)
• On This Day In 1953 – Queen Elizabeth Takes Coronation Oath (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 10

THE ADMIRALTY ARCH – The Admiralty Arch was erected in 1910 as part of the national memorial to Queen Victoria. It stands at the Whitehall end of the Mall, at the other end of which is the Victoria Memorial seen in the next picture. Both the Arch and the Memorial were designed by Sir Aston Webb. Over the Arch is the Admiralty library and it is joined by a bridge to the rest of the Admiralty buildings in Whitehall. On the right of the picture is Sir Thomas Brock’s bronze statue of Captain Cook, round the pedestal of which are the words: ‘Circumnavigator of the globe, explorer of the Pacific Ocean, he laid the foundations of the British Empire in Australia and New Zealand, charted the shores of Newfoundland, and opened the ocean gates of Canada, both east and west’.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

By the way, this is my post No 4000 on RetroRambling

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 2 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• Seeing London Part 1 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• Historic Admiralty Arch to be turned into a luxury hotel by Bulgari developer after Government agrees £60 million lease deal (thisismoney.co.uk)
• Historic Admiralty Arch to be turned into a luxury hotel by Bulgari developer after Government agrees £60 million lease deal (dailymail.co.uk)
• Armani to turn Admiralty Arch into luxury hotel (standard.co.uk)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 9

TRAFALGAR SQUARE – Visitors to London – like the young men from Canada on the right of this picture – always gravitate towards Trafalgar Square, with its fountains, hundreds of pigeons and Nelson ‘8 Column. The spire of James Gibbs’s masterpiece, St Martin’s-in-the-Fields, stands out on the left and the building on the right is South Africa House, London headquarters of the South African government. Trafalgar Square was laid out between 1829 and 1841, from designs by Sir Charles Barry, on what Sir Robert Peel called ‘the first site in Europe’, formerly occupied by part of the royal mews. The statue of Nelson on top of the column was the work of E. H. Baily, who was also responsible for the statue of Athena outside the Athenaeum.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 7 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 8 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 3 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 8

A PAVEMENT ARTIST – The pavement artist is one of the familiar features of the London scene. Your genuine artist draws with coloured chalks direct onto the flagstones, but there are others, less talented or more idle, who merely prop a few sketches or paintings against a convenient railing. The artist in this photograph has given titles to three of his pictures – ‘A Norfolk Road’, ‘Amsterdam, Holland’ and ‘Wessex’. His work is exhibited against some railings in Waterloo Place, on the opposite side from the Athenaeum, which is seen in the previous picture. Perhaps he does not come into the category of ‘artists of eminence in any class of the Fine Arts’, but nobody can deny him the honourable title of ‘artist’.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 7

THE ATHENAEUM  – This most famous of London clubs stands on the corner of Pall Mall and Waterloo Place. In describing this part of London often called ‘clubland’, Thackeray, a great clubman, wrote: ‘Yonder are the Martium (the United Service Club) and the Palladium (the Athenaeum). Next to the Palladium is the elegant Viatorium (the Travellers’ Club). By its side is the massive Reformatorium (the Reform) and the Ultratorium (the Carlton) rears its granite columns beyond’. Thackeray did much of his writing in the library of the Athenaeum, which was founded in 1824 ‘for the association of individuals known for their literary or scientific attainments, artists of eminence in any class of the Fine Arts, noblemen and gentlemen distinguished as liberal patrons of Science, Literature and the Arts’. Over the entrance is a gold-coloured statue of the Greek goddess Athena.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 6

PICCADILLY CIRCUS – In this picture of what is sometimes called ‘the hub of the universe’ Regent Street lies behind ‘Eros’, silhouetted against the sky. The famous statue is a memorial to the Victorian philanthropist, Lord Shaftesbury, who also gives his name to Shaftesbury Avenue, one of the streets running into the Circus. The sculptor, Sir Alfred Gilbert, called the statue Eros, but there has always been controversy about whether it was meant to represent the god of love or was a figure ‘illustrative of Christian charity’, as it was described at the time of the unveiling. The statue was removed to the Embankment Gardens between 1923 and 1929, when Piccadilly Circus was being altered, and during the second world war it went down to Egham in Surrey, returning only in 1947.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London Anno 1959 – Part 5 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 2 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 1 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 5

REGENT STREET – In this view one is looking down the street from the Oxford Street end towards the Quadrant at the Piccadilly end. Regent Street was originally designed by John Nash between 1813 and 1820 as a magnificent thoroughfare to link Carlton House, the Prince Regent’s residence between Pall Mall and the Mall, with Regent’s Park. The facades of Nash’s beautiful Quadrant were rebuilt in the nineteen twenties from designs by Sir Reginald Blomfield. Regent Street, which is now famous for its drapers, furriers, jewellers and other shops, was once also a residential quarter; it was in his ‘handsome suite of private apartments’ there that Lord Frederick Verisopht breakfasted (in Nicholas Nickleby) with Sir Mulberry Hawk at three o’clock in the afternoon.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 4

BURLINGTON ARCADE – This covered passage, with its fashionable little shops, runs from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens. The reason for its building is a curious one – the annoyance caused to Lord George Cavendish, who was then the owner of Burlington House, by ‘the inhabitants of a neighbouring street throwing oyster-shells, etc. over the wall of his garden’. To stop this, he caused ‘a covered promenade’, with shops on either side and rooms above, to be built in 1819. Lord George was a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Burlington, the famous art patron. Burlington House, together with the garden, was acquired by the Royal Academy of Arts in 1867 as its headquarters and the famous Academy exhibitions have been held there ever since. In our picture may be seen two of the Arcade’s uniformed beadles, who ensure that the regulations forbidding such things as running, whistling or pushing prams are kept.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London’s Burlington Arcade (cherylsregencyramblings.wordpress.com)
• Regency Structures: The Burlington Arcade (reginajeffers.wordpress.com)
• The Old Shopping Arcades of Piccadilly (londonvisitors.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 3

BOND STREET – Bond Street, running between Piccadilly on the south and Oxford Street on the north, does not look very impressive, but is nevertheless famous as a shopping street all over the world. Among the types of shop to be found here are jewellers, dressmakers and hosiers, while there are also a number of well-known bookshops and picture-dealers’ galleries. The southern part, known as Old Bond Street, was originally built towards the end of the 17th century by Sir Thomas Bond, who gave the street his name; the northern part, New Bond Street, was begun about 1720. Famous residents of the past included Sterne, Swift, Boswell and Sir Thomas Lawrence, while Nelson lived at No 147, with Lady Hamilton nearby at No 150. This photograph is taken from the Piccadilly end of the street.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• London’s Bond Streets: Old and New (regencyredingote.wordpress.com)
• London – Art You Should See (paulsmith.co.uk)
• Some of the bookshops that inspire me (broadconversation.com)
• Bond Street named priciest street in Europe with annual rents of £838 per square foot (standard.co.uk)

Read Full Post »

London Anno 1959 – Part 2

GROSVENOR SQUARE – At the right-hand side of this picture may be seen the statue, by Sir William Reid Dick, erected to the memory of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1948. The square has many American associations and among its residents have been John Adams, the second President of the United States, who lived there from 1785 to 1788 when he was Minister to Great Britain; Walter Hines Page, Ambassador from 1913 to 1918, who lived at No 6; and John Pierpont Morgan, Jr., who lived at No 12. To-day the Square houses both the American Embassy and the American Consulate. Grosvenor Square’s distinguished British residents have included the letter-writing Lord Chesterfield, ‘Fonthill’ Beckford, John Wilkes, the philanthropic Earl of Shaftesbury and Bulwer Lytton.

From “Country Life Picture Book of London” with photos by G F Allen

Related articles

• New post Series – London Anno 1959 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)
• London Anno 1959 – Part 1 (retrorambling.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

New post Series – London Anno 1959

Back in 1959, Country Life published a book called “Country Life Picture Book of London” with the under tittle “In colour” with photos by G F Allen. The book gives a lovely slightly larger than life time bubble from one of the worlds most fascinating cities. In this series you’ll get a chance to take a step inside that bubble – Ted

Queen Elizabeth II at The Trooping The Colour Ceremony, Horse Guard Parade.

Read Full Post »

Routemasters To The Tune Of “Bridge of Song”

Movie found at The British Film Industry’s YouTube pages

Read Full Post »