OuterCircleBus
master brummie
A street scene in the decade of my youth so that's why I like it. It's Dale End from High Street in 1955 with people wandering across the road, cars edging through them, life seemed a bit slower then although it was a time when Britain designed and made fast jet aircraft and flew them at air displays. Parking was easy but it was 9 years before I bought my first car and that RAF office on the right reminds me that I was one year away from RAF National Service. Petrol was 4s 6p (22.5p) a gallon and the PM of the day said 'we had never had it so good' ... but an historic inflation calculator puts that equivalent to £5.51 a gallon today so not so different from today's price if I've got my litres and gallons correct ...
I can remember this scene from the late 50s. My mom would take me into "town" shopping and in the afternoon (before the rush hour) we'd go to the News Theatre (on the right of the photo) for the cartoons. I worked on petrol pumps in the late 60s in Acocks Green & Olton and petrol then was about 4s/11d a gallon so the price hadn't changed much in ten years. Just think - a hundred miles of motoring for a quid (at 25mpg)! "Give us a pounds worth mate!"
Am I right in thinking that the Beehive was just down the street to the right? Carrs Lane? Shops had character then!