The BSA A7-A10 Forum
Bikes, Pictures, Stories & more => Other BSAs, Other Bikes, Cars, Machinery & Tools => Topic started by: Greybeard on 10.02. 2021 20:03
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Could be an image from my childhood
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I could be a mile off but that place is familiar, it might come to me at some random moment.
A7 in the foreground there
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Bsa Bill. Does Henley on Thames ring a bell
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Could be an image from my childhood
Not a yellow line or traffic warden in sight, what bliss.
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Looking at pix like this reminds me why bikes were considered super-rapid. Put that one amongst a similar selection of humdrum moderns, and it'd be the slowest thing there.
How my old mum got me and my brother all the way from Aberdeen to Penzance in an Austin 7 in about 1959, in the winter and in convoy with my dad in a pre-war Standard 10 overflowing with boxes 'n stuff ('cos we were moving house), I can hardly imagine. It would still count as an expedition today I reckon, but with no dual carriageways, 40-45mph cruising speed at best, lousy lights, pathetic hill-climbing ability, trucks grinding along and belching black fumes at 25mph . . . it can't have been any kind of fun, even through the prism of the old rose-tinteds.
The only upside? Loads of pubs along the way. My dad hated to miss one out and could plot a route anywhere across the country by reference to his preferred liquid-victualling stops. I got to be on intimate terms with many a freezing pub car-park and broken swings, clutching a packet of crisps with a twist of salt. Nostalgia is def the right heading!
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My parents had an Austin Seven when I was younger than 6. I can clearly remember hunkering down in the front footwell by my Mums legs to get some warmth from the engine.
The next car was a luxurious MK1 Ford Consul, like this, that had a proper heater.
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Bsa Bill. Does Henley on Thames ring a bell
thanks Alex - No I'm thinking of a town on the scots side where the street splits and there parking in the middle, but you've saved my old brain trying to drag it up
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Looking at his, I stopped myself before coming to an uninformed conclusion. Specifically, but for the motorcycle from the fifties, the rest of the image (cars, buildings, etc) looked to me like something from the forties, or maybe thirties. Then, I realized that Great Britain was not that far removed from being at the center of a horrible war that wasn't exactly inspirational for fanciful design, as was the case over here where cars of the time had fins as big as some of those cars.
Richard L.
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Thats it Richard, in the more countrified areas nothing much changed from the 40's to the 60's, in cities gaps where shops had been blitzed were still there and bomb damaged areas were the kids playgrounds . To have a car was unusual , my dear dad was a commercial traveller ( sale rep ) selling industrial diamond tools ,very much state of the art back in the mid 50's ,had a morris Isis later an oxford , His area was all over the north of england and He had an hell of a job getting firms to pay for good machine tools .Rolls royce were the exception plus some other firms in Miles platting making turbines doesn't that sound familiar ? We used to go on holiday from Manchester to Ramsgate in kent every year the trip was very much as described prev to Cornwall , leave at 3 am drive through the night and get to Ramsgate late afternoon next day ,best road i can remember was the Thanet way lovely and stright apple orchards by its side with sighs saying help yourself but don't damage the trees, things in Ramsgate that were the same as before the war when my Dads family came there . my favorite ,RAF Manston ,massive site used by the AAAF and Silvercity airways ,taking cars to France at the back near the eastcliff the old lane running from airfield to Ramsgate on which were sited the ( very rare early ) Spit and Hurricane marking its WW2 heritage which I insisted on seeing each yr they were still there in 1966 my last trip down there ,1st on a Bsa A10 plunger, i'd followed Dad in there camper van for our last family holiday together. The trip hadn't changed much still no motorways ,it rained most of the way, ran into a flood in stone and was pulled out by the firebrigade , dried the mag out ,used some new fangled stuff WD40 to blow out the carb whilst Dad was making a few bob drying out cars , then onwards we got to Ramsgate aafter 14 hrs ,bloody knackered but next day the sun shone and all was right with the world for 13 days ,better run back ,no rain but roads still generally bloody useless
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https://www.picturesofengland.com/img/X/1176162.jpg
My first thought was of Henley, before I saw Alex’s reply (honest).
The picture at the link above might just confirm it as Henley.
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Could it be Marlborough? Seem to recognise the area - used to pass through there many years ago visiting relatives.
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I could be wrong, but I believe it's Henley-on-Thames. *whistle* >:D
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To have a car was unusual , my dear dad was a commercial traveller ( sale rep ) selling industrial diamond tools ,very much state of the art back in the mid 50's ,had a morris Isis later an oxford
There’s an Isis’ little brother Oxford in the lower right corner behind the Beesa
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I recall us chatting about yours some time ago Morris and strangely about 3 mths ago going through some of my Mums pictures I found an old one of me and best mate standing in front of Dads oxford , SWK591 brought back a few tears i can say , take care morris.
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To have a car was unusual , my dear dad was a commercial traveller ( sale rep ) selling industrial diamond tools ,very *smile*much state of the art back in the mid 50's ,had a morris Isis later an oxford
There’s an Isis’ little brother Oxford in the lower right corner behind the Beesa
Well, I had to look THAT one up. "Morris" and "Isis," two names that will live in infamy. ;) *smile*
Richard L.
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come on GB infamy infamy theyv.............
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come on GB infamy infamy theyv.............
I was just about to but you've ruined it now! 😉
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Nostalgia, it ain't wot it used to be *smile*
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come on GB infamy infamy theyv.............
I was just about to but you've ruined it now! 😉
I'm missing something here.
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I'm missing something here.
Britsh humour - a reference to one of the "carry on films" "up Pompey" or similar and this clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9t_KDGqOmE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9t_KDGqOmE)
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yes Richard , a film called carry on up the Khyber , a series of English carry on films back in the day. googling it might help you.
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carry on up the Khyber - where Williams says to Sid James "may the sunshine light up your life" and he replies "and up yours"