Old City Pictures

[Gavin Scott]

BBC News (Scotland news page) were linking to a fabulous photo of Edinburgh's West Bow - part of the old town - where Burke & Hare the bodysnatchers were executed this week in 1828 - bit of trivia there.



There's dozens of pics of Edinburgh like this - is that true of where you live and would you care to share?

Fascinating stuff.

[Sput]

Manchester city council did a wonderful thing and put a large archive online. Naturally it's horrible to navigate but there are some freakishly old images there. This, for example, is my street in 1940 and it is bizarre


There are a few dating back to 1910 but they're not really *of* anything

[Beep]

What a nice building.



This is my fave, Birmingham Central Library. I am a fan of brutalism and had Birmingham Corporation not been cheapskates it would have been cladded in quartz and looked nice.

[Gavin Scott]

This is apparently a rendering of my street in the 18th centuary.



Will try to find one of the period between then and now.

(Its dawned on me these are infinitely more interesting when its a place you know - so that's me and a couple of others catered for).

[Gavin Scott]

I am a fan of brutalism

Yes, I've read some of your TV Forum posts

[Beep]

I am a fan of brutalism

Yes, I've read some of your TV Forum posts

Gav, you are hilarious.

[marksi]

Sailing ships in the harbour, taken from the clock tower...

[Ant]

The Edinburgh Evening News often has old pictures of Edinburgh in it's Saturday edition. Interesting to see Princes St look so similar to what it does now.

I'm sure I saw a photo of my local area from the 1970s in there too. A completely boring photo I'm sure but these things often tickle my interest.

[Pete]

Dundee has a similar gallery of old images on their site. The most interesting thing I discovered was that my own flat, whilst appearing pre-1910 from the outside, didn't exist in photos 1917. It appears that the stonework on the outside is a facade to make it blend in with the rest of the street whilst the internal walls are 1920s/30s brick.

The number of streets between the derelict Tay Hotel and the waterfront was also amazing, taking into account its now the last building before it turns into 1960s grotworld.

[steddenm]

Well this is the village of Barwell, Leicestershire where I was brought up...



This is the High Street in Barwell c1849. Now Barwell is famous for a Meteorite stirke in 1965:

Barwell was the site of a major meteor impact in the UK. On Christmas Eve 1965, the village was showered with fragments, that when combined, were about the size of a traditional Christmas turkey. Fortunately, no one was hurt, although some minor damage to buildings and property occurred.

One Meteorite went though a front of a car destroying the engine. When the Owner of the Car attempted to claim on his insurant company, they replied that it was an "Act of God" and would not paid. Outraged the Owner went to the priest of the local church and asked for the money saying, "If it was an Act of God, the Church should pay for his car." The owner never recevied any money to repair his car.

Barwell today looks very different, albeit the Church of 1209AD still stands!


c1994

Another interesting fact about Barwell was that in 1991, due to the size of the village (it lies between the A47 and A447 main roads near Hinckley) it had more pub glasses per head than anywhere else in the UK!

And this is Barwell in 2007:


Photo courtesy of Leicestershire County Council/Barwell Under Threat

[Sput]

What a nice building.

It...no longer exists