
Copyright: David Bradley
David Bradley comments:
The
scooter in the picture
is mine [a Lambretta]
and in 1961 cost £175
new. I used it to
travel to work in
Leicester Square
from Thornton Heath.
A monthly season
ticket at the time
was £4.40 (£4.8.0p)
whereas the running
cost of the scooter
was around a gallon
a week, then costing
about 40p (8/-) In
having the scooter,
what was particularly
noticeable was the
substantial reduction
in journey times,
particularly if a
change of routes
was necessary, or
a long walk at either
end of the trip.
At the time, the
mini had not long
been introduced and
some of my friends
could actually afford
one at the £440
price tag.
Television
in 1961 was for most
people just one channel,
and was in black and
white at that! The
aerial required was
a large 'H' shape and
it is possible that
the chimneys of these
properties were not
strong enough for such
an aerial. To pick
up the new commercial
TV channel available
at the time you either
had to buy a new television
or use at set top onversion
unit and a adaptation to the existing aerial or an additional
one.
My girlfriend lived at number 95 and we meet at Streatham Ice Rink; because of my fond memories of the association of the rink and the young lady, it saddens me that in 2004 it will disappear from the landscape.
You can no longer drive past these houses because the properties are now in a cul-de-sac but both exist to this day, although number 97 has been converted back to total residential use. |
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Much
of the flavour of suburban Streatham can be
seen in this photograph of Besley Stores taken
by David Bradley.
Small, family owned shops, all featuring prominent tobacco advertising, were yet to be wiped out by the supermarket chains and there are no TV aerials to be seen.
Motor scooters were very popular because they were "trendy" and relatively cheap, not because they provided an escape from traffic queues.
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