Dunstable in times gone by
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NO doubt about when this picture of Dunstable crossroads was taken.
The photographer was Alf King, of Dunstable Road, Totternhoe, and he is sure it was 1964 because that’s his Ford Anglia in the foreground.
The car is parked outside the old Co-op grocery shop, part of which is now the West Street Pharmacy.
Alf was site agent for Robinson and White, the well-known Dunstable builders, and he took a series of photos of the area.
This view not only shows the Red Lion hotel, which stood on the corner of Church Street before the road was widened, but also the old Westminster Bank, which was knocked down and replaced by the present flat-roofed Nat-West building, seen in the smaller photo.
The old Westminster holds particular memories for Alf because he helped repair its roof, including that particularly tall ornate structure, in 1951.
Reaching the top of those high buildings was a real problem in the days before scaffolding became commonplace.
Robinson and White used a 43-foot long ladder with 57 rungs. It was the tallest in the district and required a major effort to carry it down the road from the depot in Edward Street. The journey required a police escort until the ladder was roped into place.
The photo in Yesteryear a few weeks ago of High Street North as seen from the top of the bank was also taken by Alf while he worked on the roof in 1951.
He used a Wembley Sports Camera given to him on his 18th birthday to take a picture of the traffic. The road was jammed with coaches and cars taking football fans to the FA Cup Final.
> Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society
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Monday 21 May 2012
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