A fascinating slice of Hammersmith life has emerged on YouTube. Photo above taken from the historical 8mm film
Did you have a paper round in Greyhound Road in the early 1960s, or did you belong to the scout band, shop off Fulham Palace Road or push a pram to the park?
A fascinating slice of Hammersmith life has emerged on YouTube, where a scratchy 8mm film of life in the street has been discovered and shared.
Much of the footage – seen for the first time in half a century – focuses on sewer repair work, but the pace of life is altogether different, and the vehicles all seem to move at a gentler, more respectful speed.
The film, unearthed when a collector bought a job lot of amateur films on the online auction site eBay, features the long-gone Queen’s Arms pub, a real locals’ local, which stood at the corner of Greyhound Road and Field Road.
It was an era of Vauxhall Crestas, Hillman Minxes, Ford Consuls, Morris Minors, Austin A40s and Mk1 Cortinas.
The Queen’s Arms, at 171 Greyhound Road, stood at the back of Queen’s Club. Despite attempts at reinvention, with makeovers in the noughties, it has now closed for good.
As well as the roadworks outside the pub, the old footage also shows pram-pushing shoppers using the local bakery, a scout band marching down a side street, pet cats, paper boys and houseproud residents sweeping snow from the footpath.
There is also impressive film of an old car, apparently starting first time in near-Arctic conditions. The message seems to be, if you want a reliable vehicle, get a 1950 Standard Vanguard estate!
You can view the discovered film below.
