Not a "What is the car?"

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Desiderata

Original Poster:

2,578 posts

61 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
I don't need to know what the cars are, though it might be interesting, I'm more interested in what year this was taken.
I'd guess the gold car on the crossing is a Vauxhall Velox or Wyvern, though I may be wrong, and the bus is a Leyland Tiger so post 1947. The town is Stirling.
Anyone have any more insights?
Looks like driving standards weren't really much better back in the day than they are now.


Edited to add the photo.

Mercky

642 posts

142 months

Saturday 17th February
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The car looks like an E series Cresta, so 1954 at the earliest.

Riley Blue

21,634 posts

233 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
Those models of Vauxhall, both the Wyvern and Velox, were introduced in 1951 so I reckon it's soon after then.

ETA: might be a Cresta. If so, as stated, post-54.

Edited by Riley Blue on Saturday 17th February 07:55

cliffords

1,827 posts

30 months

Saturday 17th February
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If you zoom in to the bloke at the crossing, his newspaper is dated 3 March 1952

Desiderata

Original Poster:

2,578 posts

61 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
Mercky said:
The car looks like an E series Cresta, so 1954 at the earliest.
Can you tell the difference between the Wyvern, Velox, and Cresta? They were all the same basic bodyshell and the Wyvern and Velox both came out on 1951.

100SRV

2,180 posts

249 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
Desiderata said:
Can you tell the difference between the Wyvern, Velox, and Cresta? They were all the same basic bodyshell and the Wyvern and Velox both came out on 1951.
Didn't the Velox have a large sunroof?

Some would call it a Velox window...

Ambleton

6,944 posts

199 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
cliffords said:
If you zoom in to the bloke at the crossing, his newspaper is dated 3 March 1952
CSI levels of "zoom, enhance" hehe


lancslad58

1,108 posts

15 months

Saturday 17th February
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An image search came with th exact same photo on facebook labelled "circa 1956"

TarquinMX5

2,064 posts

87 months

Saturday 17th February
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I don't think it's a Cresta, doesn't appear to be enough chrome trim on the sides. However, it does appear to have rear wheel spats, so late 1954-on

Mr Tidy

24,341 posts

134 months

Sunday 18th February
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I wonder why the pedestrian is carrying a 1952 newspaper then? confused

Great photo anyway!

Risonax

351 posts

23 months

Monday 19th February
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What's depressing is finding out where this is today.

Across the road is the offices of the Stirling Observer. The corner was called Observer Corner. The newspaper offices are now in a backstreet. The offices at some point became a Thomas Cook, then a cafe, then a barbers offering student cuts. The Vauxhall is emerging from Thistle Street which lead to the Thistle Street Picture House, which was originally a grand 1860s Union Hall. To be fair, it might have been one of those really quiet roads without much traffic. That's all gone. Thistle Street is pedestrianised, leading to the Thistle Shopping Centre. The church to the right was Stirling North Parish Church. The Church shut down in 1969, and by 1973, it was demolished and replaced with those awful early 70s shopping arcades. About where the church was is now a shop called "Nickel and Dimes", a sort of Poundland. Before that it was Argos. Next door is a kebab shop. The tall tenement type building is still there, but everything in between it and the church has gone. There is a Mickey D there now. Where the orange lorry is, is a Bet Fred shop and taxi rank.

I guess a painting from the 1920s-30s from a similar vantage




Its from this photo:

https://i.prcdn.co/img?regionKey=4%2BDqUtP%2FcZ7FR...

Which the Scottish Archives reckon is Armistice Day 1918. Obviously not, because the cars are far later.

The church had significance in the Abolition Movement. In 1861, a Rev Johnson gave a lecture, which the Stirling Observer reported on. He was from Kentucky, and was a run away slave. Before his lecture, he had just finished theological and medical studies in Edinburgh, and was hoping to go to Africa to help people.

The Observer reported:

[quote]He alluded in feeling terms of the conflicting emotions he felt before he made up his mind to flee from the plantation in the States where he had been a slave; his master had been an exception to many overbearing slave-owners; he feared on the one hand that his owner might die, and he might be transferred to the hands of a tyrannical slave-dealer; again there was the prospect that by his death he might make his escape.

He described the affecting parting from his sister, and the obstacles met with by the negro in making his escape owing to the presence of venomous reptiles; the crossing of swamps, rivers and mountains, all of which had to be overcome by dauntless perseverance, patience and courage.

He referred to the great advantage the North Star was to the fugitive slave in guiding him northwards to the Canadian frontiers, the land of freedom, and gave a graphic account of the obstacles successfully overcome by Mr Torry in the organisation of means for the formation of the underground railroad, describing its origin and complete success, with the facilities it afforded to the negro in making his escape, and hastening and completing his emancipation from bondage.

The lecturer, who occasionally broke out in burts of eloquent declamation, was listened to throughout with close attention and deep interest.
[/quote]




https://www.google.com/maps/place/Betfred/@56.1180...



Edited by Risonax on Monday 19th February 20:38

Desiderata

Original Poster:

2,578 posts

61 months

Tuesday 20th February
quotequote all
Thanks Risonax, I was originally looking at the photo with my Mum who was born in Stirling in 1936 and we were enjoying going back through her memories. Your input will keep us going for another while discussing the additional information.