065-King's Cross, Caledonian Road in the 1950's (3)
Picture taken at the junction of Caledonian Road and Pentonville Road and looking in the opposite direction, roughly from where the trolleybus is seen in pic 063. The Caledonian Road runs to the right of the Charrington's pub seen in the distance - Balfe Street runs to its left. Caledonia Street is on the left, just past the Islington sign and the parked VW Beetle. Both trolleys are bound for Holborn Circus, but will negotiate the Holborn Loop in opposite directions. The 621 will travel clockwise and leave the Gray's Inn Road at Swinton Street, then turn right into King's Cross Road and along Farringdon Street to Charterhouse Street, where it will turn right and make it's way along High Holborn and past the famous Gamages department store, then turn right at the Holborn end of Gray's Inn Road and return to King's Cross. The second trolley, on route 517, will continue to Holborn via the Gray's Inn Road and complete the loop in an anti-clockwise direction. The two routes will merge again when they reach this location on their return journey to North Finchley; but they will separate at Holloway, The Nag's Head - the 517 taking the Great North Road via Archway and East Finchley and the 621, a slightly longer journey, via Finsbury Park, Wood Green and New Southgate.
On the left, just past the first lampost-cum-trolley pole is Houseman's, the not-for-profit, radical bookshop who opened their premises here in 1958. The shop is still there today, in 2011, and despite bomb attacks and libel suits over the years, it continues to function and promote human rights, peace and environmental issues. Their website is here... www.housmans.com/index.php
The Times Furnishing store on the corner of the Caledonian Road and Pentonville Road was here for many years, but at least, as with many buildings in the area, it hasn't been demolished. The trolleys are parked outside a pub, well known in the 50's and 60's for the frequent fist fights and general ballyhoo on Friday and Saturday nights!
A marvellous photo by Michael Dryhurst.
(NB - to take a trip around the two mainline stations and view the vehicles, architecture and fashions of a bygone age, see the full "King's Cross in the 1950's" set of pictures by clicking this link..... www.flickr.com/photos/59082098@N05/sets/72157626070269684/ )
065-King's Cross, Caledonian Road in the 1950's (3)
Picture taken at the junction of Caledonian Road and Pentonville Road and looking in the opposite direction, roughly from where the trolleybus is seen in pic 063. The Caledonian Road runs to the right of the Charrington's pub seen in the distance - Balfe Street runs to its left. Caledonia Street is on the left, just past the Islington sign and the parked VW Beetle. Both trolleys are bound for Holborn Circus, but will negotiate the Holborn Loop in opposite directions. The 621 will travel clockwise and leave the Gray's Inn Road at Swinton Street, then turn right into King's Cross Road and along Farringdon Street to Charterhouse Street, where it will turn right and make it's way along High Holborn and past the famous Gamages department store, then turn right at the Holborn end of Gray's Inn Road and return to King's Cross. The second trolley, on route 517, will continue to Holborn via the Gray's Inn Road and complete the loop in an anti-clockwise direction. The two routes will merge again when they reach this location on their return journey to North Finchley; but they will separate at Holloway, The Nag's Head - the 517 taking the Great North Road via Archway and East Finchley and the 621, a slightly longer journey, via Finsbury Park, Wood Green and New Southgate.
On the left, just past the first lampost-cum-trolley pole is Houseman's, the not-for-profit, radical bookshop who opened their premises here in 1958. The shop is still there today, in 2011, and despite bomb attacks and libel suits over the years, it continues to function and promote human rights, peace and environmental issues. Their website is here... www.housmans.com/index.php
The Times Furnishing store on the corner of the Caledonian Road and Pentonville Road was here for many years, but at least, as with many buildings in the area, it hasn't been demolished. The trolleys are parked outside a pub, well known in the 50's and 60's for the frequent fist fights and general ballyhoo on Friday and Saturday nights!
A marvellous photo by Michael Dryhurst.
(NB - to take a trip around the two mainline stations and view the vehicles, architecture and fashions of a bygone age, see the full "King's Cross in the 1950's" set of pictures by clicking this link..... www.flickr.com/photos/59082098@N05/sets/72157626070269684/ )