Where were these construction workers in London, when photographed?

[mosiefish]

Would someone take a look at the corner of Westgate Street/The Triangle where it meets Mare Street.  I suspect the building behind the men is Westgate Street, although some of it has now been altered. 

Mo

[ShaunJ]

Hope the link works. It's about here I think http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=51.538008,-0.057378&num=1&sll=51.536848,-0.058184&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=51.5375,-0.056326&spn=0,0.026071&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.537971,-0.05725&panoid=gVQGiqAhOsB_qtBjvFLVLg&cbp=12,22.93,,0,0.82

[IgorStrav]

Good link, Shaun, think Mo means if you click on the lh arrow a bit and move round to the left.

Just been looking at it myself, could be.....so difficult to say, now that the windows are altered.

This is very spooky for me, as looking on Streetmap, this is part of a regular route of mine across London

[Borley Manor]

My paternal grandfather worked as a platelayer on the railway network, he tied his trousers up to stop pickaxed stones from flying up and ripping the legs asunder...the same with a photograph I have in my collection of a quarryman from the Ipswich area..rats would have been long gone after hearing any noises from industrial/ mechanisation etc....

Just a thought though...

[ShaunJ]

Backing up south down Mare Street for about 50 -100 metres, there are some 19th century buildings to the left. TAke a look at the windows and compare with those on the extreme left of Keith's photo

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=51.538008,-0.057378&num=1&sll=51.536848,-0.058184&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&hl=en&ie=UTF8&layer=c&cbll=51.536852,-0.056992&panoid=cDG-qYyrLdsB24sXM8LjlQ&cbp=12,337.93,,0,0.82&ll=51.536967,-0.05697&spn=0.008782,0.026157&z=16

[nigelp]

The original photo looks to me as if it's taken from The Triangle / Mare Street looking along Westgate Street. Mare Street is on the left and right of the photo.

Well spotted Mo.

Nigel

[youngtug]

The beams are resting on the top of the sides of the trench, therefore they are not struts to stop the trench collapsing but probably to hold something up, ie; the screw and handle contraption would give adjustment to whatever was hung from the bottom of the threaded bolt. Maybe a pipe but could be beams etc, . The following picture is of interest but maybe not what we have in the photo.  ;   http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfx/construct/general/images/1894_bme05.jpg

[Keith Sherwood]

Wow!  Some very clever and thorough detective work has been going on since I last had a look at the thread.  The Mare Street theory looks very plausible to me.
I wonder whether all the workmen's tools were hidden away down below, in whatever shaft had been driven into the ground, not a pick or shovel to be seen.  And I've wondered why the photo looks so posed, whoever took it must have had quite a bit a trouble getting everyone above ground and steady for the camera shutter to click and freeze this moment in time for ever...
keith

[nigelp]

The following link on the Mare Street Conservation Area provides an interesting history of Mare Street / The Wesgate Street Triangle etc:

http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/ep-mare-street-town-hall-square-appraisal-part-1.pdf

Nigel