RootsChat.Com
Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: seemex on Monday 18 September 17 20:07 BST (UK)
-
Can anyone ID the location of this photo? It was taken about 1933 and I think somewhere in the south of England, maybe near Bournemouth or Torquay? The structures are distinctive but I've never been there so maybe someone will recognize it.
Thanks
Brian
-
It looks as if it could be a war memorial, or it could be an observatory as the dome behind the ladies looks as if the roof could open. I can't find anything to fit either of those ideas though.
Pat
-
It's a bit like the old Hastings Pier in the background - I can't find a suitable pic but it did have rounded white domes.
-
Not sure about that, Gadget, as there are houses behind the domes. If it was the pier there would be sea.
-
ah - looking at it on a very small machine - the backgound (left and middle) looks hazy on here - assumed it was sea/sky
-
It is nowhere near Bournemouth.
On the extreme right of the picture it looks as if there may be a graveyard on the hill, with part of a what could be a Church tower on the edge of the photo.
-
Shadows - reasonably long and possibly afternoon rather than morning so they would be facing west or maybe south. Those seats look very seaside or park like. I lived in the SW for 20 odd years and don't recognise the domes. WW2 might have changed things.
-
That one dome almost looks like an observatory with the section across the center, although it looks too small to actually be one
-
There is the Norman Lockyer Observatory at Sidmouth that has five domes but I can't find a comparable picture to be sure
-
There is the Norman Lockyer Observatory at Sidmouth that has five domes but I can't find a comparable picture to be sure
I don't think it's really an observatory. It seems more like a seaside promenade with the all the benches etc.( it looks like sea in tne background but its not clear ) My family spent much of their time in the south around Bournemouth which is whey I thought of that. My mother the center woman in the photo and I know she went back to visit school friends in '33 but it could be somewhere else in England.
-
It looks as if it could be a war memorial, or it could be an observatory as the dome behind the ladies looks as if the roof could open. I can't find anything to fit either of those ideas though.
Pat
The roof on the dome does not open. It is the shadow of the flag and flag pole on the dome,
so not an observatory.
-
Your other post indicates your mother left school in the late 1920's. Did you still have family she visited elsewhere in England. The other two ladies look older than her :-\
-
Your other post indicates your mother left school in the late 1920's. Did you still have family she visited elsewhere in England. The other two ladies look older than her :-\
It's true that she may have friends or even family that were older. I believe that is correct about the shadow of the flag. I can See that clearly now
-
Have you any idea where they may have lived :-\
-
I'm not sure those benches are fixed, look at the position of the one behind them, out of line with the others. Also the one near the domes appears to be facing the other way. Because of the angle of the path, I don't think it is a promenade, unless it goes round a harbour?
-
Are we sure it's in England? Did any of your mother's relatives die in WW1?
-
I thought there looked like a carved motif on the left hand post,though it seems off center.Perhaps it's graffiti.No idea what to make of it.
Regards
Roger
-
On the extreme left of the picture, something about the angles of the white stonework makes me think that this vantage point looks out over a large-ish enclosed space, with the sea and horizon in the distance. Is this lido architecture? A bit too sturdy, maybe.
For the record, my first thought was the King George V Colonnade on the seafront at Bexhill, but it isn't that.
-
I wondered if they could be on a ship? Do I detect a ring on the middle finger of the youngest lady...or is it just damage? I think a high res scan of the flag might yield a clue.
Carol
-
I don't think they are on a ship as it doesn't look like decking. Judging by the fact there are houses behind the domes, a road must run along there.
-
Partly picking up on Rattus' impression,a wild guess from the "atmosphere" is Gibraltar!I agree a high res scan of the flag would be invaluable.
Regards
Roger
-
I found another photo that I think is the same two ladies...checked shoes and hats and I believe is from the same batch of photos. Also the house in this photo looks like a closer version of the one in the background of the other picture. It also looks to be along a seashore.
One other place that my mother traveled to on that trip was a to a wedding in Staffordshire
( Penkrose I think ) but I can't see any seaside up there. Again I have to say, I've never been so I'm totally unfamiliar with distances an times between places. I know often something can be what we consider close in Canada ( under 100 miles ) whereas in UK, I can recall a week of planning over a trip from Surrey to Brighton.
Anyway, I'm attaching the second photo I found.
PS I rescanned the flag but no help...just a blur. Not sure its a Union Jack
-
I know often something can be what we consider close in Canada ( under 100 miles ) whereas in UK, I can recall a week of planning over a trip from Surrey to Brighton.
North Surrey (Heathrow) to Brighton is around 65 miles so not far. Not sure why it would take a week to plan ;D
I understand that no place in England is more than around 70 miles from the sea.
-
I know often something can be what we consider close in Canada ( under 100 miles ) whereas in UK, I can recall a week of planning over a trip from Surrey to Brighton.
North Surrey (Heathrow) to Brighton is around 65 miles so not far. Not sure why it would take a week to plan ;D
I understand that no place in England is more than around 70 miles from the sea.
That was back in the 70's. My friend lived in Chessington and didn't have or want a car ( he borrowed one from the in-laws ) or even a phone. He used to say "my dad didn't have one and he got along fine" Planning the trip to Brighton also took into consideration the many "stops for a pint" that had to be figured in, and he was very fussy about what brand of beer they served! :)
-
Can you please attach the highest resolution scan you have of the flag,even if it appears to be a"blur",just in case anything can be made of it.
Regards
Roger
-
Started to wonder whether the original picture is set on a rooftop. Then wondered whether it might be the roof of a theatre. Then, not sure why, the word 'aquarium' sprang to mind.
Check out pictures of the Bournemouth Oceanarium building. It's not that, but imagine if they were standing on the roof of a similar building. That building is relatively new; if it replaces a similar, older building, I haven't been able to find it. (And anyway, Jebber is sure this isn't Bournemouth.)
I agree that the two ladies in the second picture are the same people as those in the first. I also agree that the flag isn't a Union Jack. I spotted the 'carved motif' thing that Roger mentioned, but to me it looks like the remains of a removed advert/poster.
Oh yeah, towards the right of the picture check out the thing that looks like a capped stench pipe in front of the dome (behind the bench). Further evidence for the rooftop theory?
-
Can you please attach the highest resolution scan you have of the flag,even if it appears to be a"blur",just in case anything can be made of it.
Regards
Roger
I scanned just the flag alone at 1200.
-
Thanks.It looks like it is banded with the top and bottom bands being equal and the central one larger(like the Spanish flag?).There appears to be a central motif in the middle band,possibly with a letter either side,but this is highly speculative.
Regards
Roger
-
I thought there looked like a carved motif on the left hand post,though it seems off center.Perhaps it's graffiti.No idea what to make of it.
Regards
Roger
When I looked at this in Photoshop Roger, it looked like a head shot of Donald Trump :o ???
Does anyone else think the girl in the middle has a ring on her wedding finger or is it pixelation?
Carol
-
Does anyone else think the girl in the middle has a ring on her wedding finger or is it pixelation?
Carol
[/quote]
The middle lady is my mother and yes she's have had a wedding ring set. She was married in Oct 1931 and this was their first trip back to the UK
-
Going back to Rattus' aquarium thought-the "motif" I referred to looks a bit like a dolphin!
Regards
Roger
-
Hi,
The second photo of the 2 ladies and the gent is taken on the Parade at Parkgate, Cheshire (Wirral Peninsula). If you go on Google maps, street view, the house is still there on the south end of the Parade.
Ray
-
Hi,
The second photo of the 2 ladies and the gent is taken on the Parade at Parkgate, Cheshire (Wirral Peninsula). If you go on Google maps, street view, the house is still there on the south end of the Parade.
Ray
That's a good find - did you recognise it or search on Google maps?
So perhaps the other one is taken in the same area?
-
Hi, recognised it by the sea wall. Think the domes are Hoylake Swimming Baths on the north Wirral coast in the same area, but not certain.
Ray
-
The Parkgate setting on Google Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/QU9GvALN3m22
Well done Groom!
-
The Parkgate setting on Google Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/QU9GvALN3m22
Well done Groom!
Wasn't me - it was Ray who found it. :D
-
Sorry ShaunJ - wrong house. The one in the photo is at the south end not in the middle of the Parade. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.2924352,-3.0808677,3a,15y,341.85h,92.98t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sFZf1pI-wkLCKFmqEPMor0Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DFZf1pI-wkLCKFmqEPMor0Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D77.63024%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
Don't know if that will work.
Ray
-
Hi, recognised it by the sea wall. Think the domes are Hoylake Swimming Baths on the north Wirral coast in the same area, but not certain.
Ray
Brilliant Ray - look at this it fits! https://photos.francisfrith.com/frith/hoylake-swimming-pool-c1965_h277010.jpg
-
Good call, Ray. This image looks very promising:
https://www.francisfrith.com/hoylake/hoylake-swimming-pool-c1965_h277010 (https://www.francisfrith.com/hoylake/hoylake-swimming-pool-c1965_h277010)
EDIT: didn't see the more recent replies when I posted this, despite refreshing. Excuse a newbie mistake.
-
Hi, recognised it by the sea wall. Think the domes are Hoylake Swimming Baths on the north Wirral coast in the same area, but not certain.
Ray
Brilliant Ray - look at this it fits! https://photos.francisfrith.com/frith/hoylake-swimming-pool-c1965_h277010.jpg
Groom...congrats...you win! I think this is the place alright. I believe that the gent in the second photo ( my mother's husband ) had family in Cheshire, so that sort of fits and would be a reason for them to have gone there. There's no doubt that the Hoylake Swimming Baths is indeed the correct place in the photo. Well done! Now I just have to figure out who the two ladies are, but having a connection like this will put me on the right track for sure. Many thanks to all who contributed to this. It's a great leap for me!
Thank you
Brian
-
I can't take the credit - it was Ray who found the location of the second picture and suggested Hoylake Swimming Baths. I just found a picture by Googling the name.
Well done Ray
-
Great ID Ray.
I did have a few meals in the 1970s at Mr Chow's Eating House just up the road from the second picture,but clearly didn't recognise it!
Regards
Roger
-
I can't take the credit - it was Ray who found the location of the second picture and suggested Hoylake Swimming Baths. I just found a picture by Googling the name.
Well done Ray
[/quote
My sincere thanks to Ray for solving the mystery, and again, to everyone who helped. Great detective work! I see that the "Hoylake Swimming Baths" no longer exists ( torn down in 1976 according to what I see about it ) Too bad, it looks like a it was a glorious place in it's day!
-
Nice work Ray....well done, so pleased that it has been identified....I can stop looking through my postcard collection now ;D
Welcome to RootsChat Rattus
Carol
-
Another view.
Regards
Roger
-
No doubt is there, even the flag pole minus the flag on that one?
-
No,I think it's the structure just peeking out left of the right hand most dome in the original.
Regards
Roger
-
The site of the former baths is now a lifeboat station:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3984804,-3.1775001,3a,90y,341.71h,77.5t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spYh435u0EqQVyiy9a-DiSA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3984804,-3.1775001,3a,90y,341.71h,77.5t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spYh435u0EqQVyiy9a-DiSA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
Whether it's an overt tribute, or a purely subconcious echo of the past, the white concrete orbs are a nice touch.