Leonard Bentley
Piccadilly Circus: 1932
This is a Bridge House Real Photo Series postcard showing Piccadilly Circus looking north with Shaftesbury Avenue on the right. The London Pavilion is out of sight on the right and there are no bus or hoarding advertisements for plays or films which would lead to the date, however there is one big clue in the centre of the photograph, the Shaftesbury Memorial itself. On 18th February 1925 the Memorial was removed from the Circus to make way for the building of the new and enlarged Piccadilly Underground station. It was absent from the Circus for nearly seven years until 27th December 1931 when it was replaced on a new site nearer the junction with Shaftesbury Avenue. After damage was caused to the statue of Eros by a New Year’s Eve reveller, it was again removed for repair and was back in situ by the end of January 1932. It would appear that the old gas lamps were replaced around the new octagonal base until they were in turn replaced in May by a paved area and four 26 feet tall solid bronze lamp standards with 1500-watt electric lights, so this photograph was taken between the end of January and May 1932. There are two large advertisements middle left for British companies which were founded in the late 18th Century. “Army Club” cigarettes were produced by Cavanders Ltd from just before the first world war until 1961 when the company was taken over by the Godfrey Phillips Cigarette Company. Cavanders was founded in 1775 in Manchester but soon moved to London where the cigarettes were manufactured. At the time of the photograph, the cigarettes were made using “pure ribbed rice paper” and packed with a covering of Glassine paper. The “Sandeman” company was founded in 1790 by two Scottish brothers from Perth. Their business was the importation of Port and Portuguese wine, their famous logo was the “Don”, a silhouetted male figure dressed in a long black cloak and a wide brimmed hat. The family company was sold to Seagram in 1979 and is now owned by “Sogrape original legacy wines”.
Piccadilly Circus: 1932
This is a Bridge House Real Photo Series postcard showing Piccadilly Circus looking north with Shaftesbury Avenue on the right. The London Pavilion is out of sight on the right and there are no bus or hoarding advertisements for plays or films which would lead to the date, however there is one big clue in the centre of the photograph, the Shaftesbury Memorial itself. On 18th February 1925 the Memorial was removed from the Circus to make way for the building of the new and enlarged Piccadilly Underground station. It was absent from the Circus for nearly seven years until 27th December 1931 when it was replaced on a new site nearer the junction with Shaftesbury Avenue. After damage was caused to the statue of Eros by a New Year’s Eve reveller, it was again removed for repair and was back in situ by the end of January 1932. It would appear that the old gas lamps were replaced around the new octagonal base until they were in turn replaced in May by a paved area and four 26 feet tall solid bronze lamp standards with 1500-watt electric lights, so this photograph was taken between the end of January and May 1932. There are two large advertisements middle left for British companies which were founded in the late 18th Century. “Army Club” cigarettes were produced by Cavanders Ltd from just before the first world war until 1961 when the company was taken over by the Godfrey Phillips Cigarette Company. Cavanders was founded in 1775 in Manchester but soon moved to London where the cigarettes were manufactured. At the time of the photograph, the cigarettes were made using “pure ribbed rice paper” and packed with a covering of Glassine paper. The “Sandeman” company was founded in 1790 by two Scottish brothers from Perth. Their business was the importation of Port and Portuguese wine, their famous logo was the “Don”, a silhouetted male figure dressed in a long black cloak and a wide brimmed hat. The family company was sold to Seagram in 1979 and is now owned by “Sogrape original legacy wines”.