EAW023207 ENGLAND (1949). Old town, Stevenage, 1949

old court house

"Parkers" Garage and petrol pumps, next door to the Post Office. Not to be confused with the later built "Harpers" Garage, petrol pumps and car dealership (owned by Peter Harper, the rally car driver) at the south end of the High Street at the junction with Sish Lane

The old town market.use to be held here

Highfield House, Pin Green.

Trotts Hill Farm, Pin Green.

Location of the old pillbox?

36 high street ivy house antiques for a few years in 70/80s use to have a stuffed bear outside

Garden of 18 Orchard Crescent

Publix Cinema.

The Vincent-HRD motorcycle works. At this time the builder of the world's fastest road going motorcycle. The "Black Shadow" at about 126 MPH. A record held until 1975 some 20 years after the firm went out of business. Not to be confused with their "Black Lightening" model which was a pure racer and rated at at-least 180 MPH on petrol and unknown on alcohol.

A very quiet A1 Great North Road

Julians Road

Southbound bus and coach stop opposite the White Lion pub. This was also the stop at which express coach services from the north - Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, the North east and Scotland - used to set down passengers en route to London Victoria. This arrangement continued for many years and was very inconvenient if you needed to travel on to the main bus station which was in the new town. You either had to wait for a local bus or walk it to the bus station. Fortunately the express services started using the main bus station in the late 1960s/early 1970s but I always wondered why it took so long for them to make the move!

Footbridge from booking hall over the tracks down to the platforms. This station - which dated back to the days of the Great Northern Railway - closed in 1973 when the current station was opened about a mile to the south, in the new town centre.

Railway station platforms. In 1946 the station name signs on the platform were changed from Stevenage to Silkingrad - in protest at the plans by Lewis Silkin, the minister of planning, to designate Stevenage as the first New Town. As the photo shows, the arrival of the New Town changed the landscape around Stevenage Old Town for ever.

Stevenage Station booking hall

The Grange sports field

Alleyne's Grammar School (founded 1558)

Railway Goods shed

Railway Station, closed in July 1973 (re-sited to the south, close to the New Town) and site cleared by the end of the same year although the Goods shed remained in use as an industrial unit until the late 1990s.

A1, Great North Road, until the A1(M) was built to bypass Stevenage this was the main road between London and Scotland, thus why Stevenage became important as a "Coaching Inn" Town before the railways.

Bridge Road

Stevenage South signal Box.

The Avenue (original section planted by Rector Nicholas Cholwell in 18th century)

The Avenue (1857 extension)

Three Horseshoes, Pin Green

Orchard Court