Cool old photo

[Limey57]

This is a photograph taken in my old hometown of Loughborough, Leicestershire (UK), taken in the late 50's.  Quite amusing to see the typical British family cars (Triumph Mayflower on the right and Morris Minor on the left) dwarfed by a 57 Ford!!!!!

Although some US cars were sold new over here in the 50's, Fords weren't to the best of my knowledge so it more than likely belonged to a US serviceman as there was an airbase on the outskirts.

[Ecode70D]

Limey
   Thanks for sharing that great old picture.   I wonder how much that street has changed since the mid 50s.  You probably know that exact spot. Jay

[Zapato]

hard to tell but it looks like the 57 is shorter than the Morris or the Mayflower.

Zap-

[Limey57]

All of the houses were demolished in the early 70's to make way for a hospital and shops. The Morris & the Triumph are around 12 feet long so it must be the photo angle making the 57 look short.

[djfordmanjack]

think he was refering to the height. 57s are some lowslung and sleek cars .
that pic is amazing. Too bad they are tearing everything down for modernism. if I could only have such a cool old brickwall industrial building with all their steelframed glass and a cool tin door gateway to the backyard.

[lalessi1]

i don't live far from where I was born. We are tearing down buildings that I saw built 20 years ago to build Walmarts! My grandparents owned a local landmark drive in burger joint with carhops and all, they sold it in '62 because they felt like they couldn't compete with Macdonalds. A Burger King went up, was torn down and another one was built...

[Ecode70D]

All of the houses were demolished in the early 70's to make way for a hospital and shops.

   Whenever I go back to my old neighborhood in Boston and see old buildings and neighborhoods torn down, it sickens me.  Those old Loughborough, Leicestershire buildings are/were beautiful.                          I suppose that's called progress. YUK!

[RICH MUISE]

I feel the same way except if you don't tear down the old stuff at some point you end up with what I've heard about Detroit. I can't take a drive thru many areas of my city without thinking I wished they'd tear the old stuff down. I guess that's mostly the 50-70's ugly 'modern' architecture though...I sure love the old homes and commercial properties built 1900-1930's. they had character. I think the perfect compromise is to keep and restore the old, like I'd wish they'd do in the old route 66 stuff around the corner from my house, and tear down that 60's-70's stuff I talked about. Heck, I'm doing my part rebuilding a 1926 built house.

[Limey57]

I now live about 15 miles away from Loughborough (where the photo is taken) and the town I now live in now has a decent mixture of old and new buildings (picture below), there's even a couple of the old timber framed buildings.  I'm all for progress but it's nice to see a bit of the old stuff now and again.

[57AGIN]

 Limey57: 

I agree with all the comments about how nice the "old buildings" looked, especially when compared to their replacements. Then I look at my home and realize that it is 52 years old.  I remember when I was growing up and living in a new 1950's house and going into the older part of town at the homes built in the 1920's & 30's and thinking how "old" those 50 year old homes looked.  My perspective has sure changed and I'm just thankful to have both a 50 plus year old home and car.

Bob
57 AGIN

[djfordmanjack]

well said Bob. My home town has buildings dating back to the founding years of around 1000AD, but of course we even have traces of 2000 yrs old Roman buildings. I love to know the history but wouldn't want to live in something that ancient. I am happy to live in a modern brick-house of 74 yrs vintage with bright big windows and white plaster. I still cannot understand why they tear down SO MANY old buildings in favor of commerce. It is not about modernism. there are many buildings from the 1920s that were as modern as any architect could ever build one. I personally have seen several art nouveau style/ art deco style mansions from the 1920s and 1930s torn down because of greed. In Europe you must only have so many persons living in a house. 1930s mansions had huge properties but only small houses. so today they tear em down because they can build a rent out house to have 10 times more persons than the old mansion would. you all wouldn't believe my talking, these old houses are in perfect condition inlcuding clean basements, dry attics and prefect wood framing and brick layers, no rot to be seen anywhere. they tore down a 500 yr old house. they tore down the last 'butterfly roof' gas station in town, even though it was protected by law as architectural heritage.
I think that progress often only is greed. sorry for my frank opinion.
Limey, That street of your hometown would make a perfect background for cruising up and down in a 57 Ford...

[jseth83]

Those are awesome pictures!