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Street furniture

i knew them as benchmarks ^ this symbol with a line above or below normally bricks laid in Major buildings as a datum point for setting out, our when pre surveying a site for design.
They are referenced to height above sea level taken from a datum in Newlyn Cornwall . Not must used these days as GPS / satellites are used . You can undertake a simple site survey now with a mobile phone app and compass ( all those hours I and others suffered at college working on OS maps and ranging rods) .
With the onset of A.I. design for construction is amazing with the detail and 3D presentation .
 
Ah ha, you’ve all jogged my memory. We have a thread (which I started - doh !!) about them. Although the one I’d seen was different. And I still don’t make a connection with their name for some reason. This one looks more detailed. Shall post this one on the Benchmarks thread below. Thanks all. Viv.

Benchmarks of Birmingham and nearby

I’ve found these two; one at Snow Hill, the other at the Old Bill and Bull pub (formerly the Hay Mills Police Station). Photos from the Geograph site. Are there others in the area ? And presumably they’re marked on OS maps. Viv
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Vivienne14 said:
Ah ha, you’ve all jogged my memory. We have a thread (which I started - doh !!) about them. Although the one I’d seen was different. And I still don’t make a connection with their name for some reason. This one looks more detailed. Shall post this one on the Benchmarks thread below. Thanks all. Viv.

Benchmarks of Birmingham and nearby

I’ve found these two; one at Snow Hill, the other at the Old Bill and Bull pub (formerly the Hay Mills Police Station). Photos from the Geograph site. Are there others in the area ? And presumably they’re marked on OS maps. Viv
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
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They will or should be an OS registration for all UK buildings holding a benchmark, the normally have an index/abutment to them indicating what building has the respective BM for example ‘lib’ would be public library. When the BM’s were functional it was incumbent on the local authority to maintain them, make sure they were visible, not defaced, etc.
 
A view in 1978 from Union Street towards High Street showing the clock later removed to the Kings Head. Work seems to be going on around the base of the clock.

A nice example of a modern ‘space-age’ street lamp (right), was this a double lamp?
Viv 75747E38-C6B7-4C6D-826A-AE84FF211571.jpeg
 
Stamp vending machines seem to have completely disappeared from our streets. Are there any left in Birmingham (unlikely to be operating) ? Maybe there are some machines still in the walls of post offices or former post offices? These are the types I remember, although I also remember one’s attached to pillar boxes too. I loved the old machines. Viv.

D4D34FA7-FBC9-4D4F-9ACC-53DC6F4C9C26.jpeg
 
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Yes, much easier to buy stamps in shops now for the occasional letters (except for having to buy a whole book of them!). I remember having to resort to going into the Post Office because machines were empty. This was a problem way back too. Hope those posting their Football Pools entries didn’t miss out on winning! Viv.

9A1F6230-3C79-4A42-9606-AC6A2E7C40E4.jpegSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
Revo58.jpg

Revo traffic lights in Princes Square, Wolverhampton in the 1930s.
Revo65.jpg

Revo illuminated warning signs, installed in Princes Square, Wolverhampton, in the 1930s.




source historywebsite.co.uk
 
Reading someone mention a drinking fountain on another thread, I wondered if the one we used on Coleshill Rd was still there. It is, but I doubt it still works. Me & my mate used it as a halfway point as we cycled on our fishing trips to Coleshill back in 1960. Apologies if this photo has been used before.
drinking fountain 2.jpg
 
Banjo said:
Reading someone mention a drinking fountain on another thread, I wondered if the one we used on Coleshill Rd was still there. It is, but I doubt it still works. Me & my mate used it as a halfway point as we cycled on our fishing trips to Coleshill back in 1960. Apologies if this photo has been used before.
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A simple marker point in the journey. We used to cycle to Stratford frequently, 4 or 5 of us. Sometimes someone could not leave at the same time (usually early), our catch point was Henley in Arden.
 
I'm pretty certain there were many of them around, but the only milk vending I ever saw & used was identical to this one outside a shop next to the Beaufort Arms pub in Hamstead around 1958. That lad could have been me, but obviously it's not.
milk.jpg
 
Vivienne14 said:
Stamp vending machines seem to have completely disappeared from our streets. Are there any left in Birmingham (unlikely to be operating) ? Maybe there are some machines still in the walls of post offices or former post offices? These are the types I remember, although I also remember one’s attached to pillar boxes too. I loved the old machines. Viv.

View attachment 175771
Click to expand...
Back in 1958/1962 all I remember that the stamp machines were always empty or did not have enough stamps.
Most recently in the US I went to mail my BHF donation and the post office local to us has been closed. I was able to go to another post office and get it on its way without too much of a delay!
 
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