Monks Coffee House Bath

I have just found this black and white half frame transparency, date unknown but obviously pre decimal.

Taken in Monks Coffee House in the Abbey Churchyard Bath a mixed grill was 25p and tea 5p.

To put it into context Wendy was earning £5 a week at that time.

Good enough for Barack Obama.

Watching the marching bands in the US presidential parade yesterday, I was reminded of Midsomer Norton Marching Brass who were one of the regular winners of national titles.
In 1992 I went to the NEC in Birmingham with reporter Wendy Walker for the National Championships where they beat 11 other Premier class bands.

Click picture to enlarge

Band Home Page

The Old Bridge Bath

This is a colour negative from the 60s when the Churchill Bridge over the river Avon was being built to replace the Old Bridge in 1966.
The picture is from one of the two Bailey Bridges that carried the traffic while the new bridge was built.
Notice Churchill House in the centre and the old generating plant that was demolished to build a new bus station.

Lonely Planet Guide to Cuba!

 

Family friend Helen Ennis has just returned from Cuba and as you can see she met the guy on the front of this year's Lonely Planet Guide to Cuba!  

Southgate Street in June 1971

I have just re scanned this picture of Southgate Street taken in June 1971.
This time I scanned it HDR and though it looks false it has brought out a great deal of shadow detail.

Beau Nash Cinema Bath

The old Beau Nash cinema in Westgate Street shows an eye for comedy by misspelling Young Einstein.
The 1920’s cinema in now a Komedia Comedy Club!

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle from the cemetery, a colour slide taken in the 70's

Look out the Russians are coming!

I sometimes use my site meter to look through the people who bother to check this blog.
To my surprise I found a visitor from the Kazan Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences which is one of the leading world scientific centres in the field of magnetic radio spectroscopy, using as ISP the Joint Supercomputer centre of the Russian academy.
Which of the many cold war secrets of the Bath area were they after, well it was Can Can de Genevieve a troupe of Can Can dancers based in the Bath area.
For the technical among you, please note a low screen res and Firefox used with Windows 98!

See the pictures here

I'm sorry you can’t park that elephant there sir!

 

I'm Sorry you can’t park that elephant there sir!

 

  

  

I wonder if the elephants will remember the wonder of Woolworths!

 

 The circus comes to Chippenham, taken in the days when circus’s travelled with elephants and always paraded them down the main street of the town for publicity.
Something that I’m sure the health and safety department on Chippenham council would object to now!

Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley

Norman Lumsden played J. R. Hartley in 

the 1983 Yellow Pages Advert.

The Advert was voted 13^th in the top hundred 

adverts, unfortunately Norman passed away 

in November 2001 age 95.

Guardian Story

The Advert

Frosty morning in Combe Hay.

Frosty morning in Combe Hay.

Bath Woolworths Southgate Branch

This is a 1960’s picture of Southgate Street Bath (currently being rebuilt for the second time) some will remember Woolworth  Bath City Centre Store on the left.

Woolworth trolley on Desert Island Disks!

 

Well not really, it’s an Australian Woolworths where they sell mainly food and it’s not a desert island it’s at Batemans Bay NSW where it’s apparently against the law to fish or jump off the bridge into the Clyde River but you can get away with dumping a supermarket trolley! 

Last day of Woolworths in Chippenham!

3pm and the window prices drop from 80% off to 90%.

 

  

  

The little stock that was left was very cheap!

 

  

Even members of the staff were open to offer!

 

 

  Though it was a sad day all the staff seemed cheerful and happy, maybe it was shell shock because the store seems to have gone from a thriving business to liquidation in less than a month!

Where did the bird’s fat ball go!