Oxfordshire Archive retro pictures

5k · July 29, 2009

early MG Metro, yes please

July 30, 2009

Amazing collection, I'll have to dig up snaps I took as a nipper around the Wallingford area - they were still using Peugeot 404 taxis well into the 80's - I'm sure I have a early 80's photo of the Ford dealer across Didcot station. It was a Datsun dealer in 1980 and was a BL dealer before then. In fact if you pop into you might still see a BL brochure rack still in use....and I'm fairly sure that its the same guy in charge of sales.

July 31, 2009

Great pics, keep them coming please! It makes me really ashamed that I didn't go round snapping town centre scenes when I was a nipper in the 80s and early 90s. What was I thinking?? I remember having a camera but god knows where the photos are or what I took pictures of Mark.

32,242 · July 31, 2009

My home town of Colchester in 1980

And Hirst driving through time in Chelmsford...

Tiptree, Essex, Home of Wilkins & Sons Jam, and my mum era early 1970's

3,247 · July 31, 2009

Following the few shops I posted, some more motoring related tat from the Oxfordshire archives.

Botley, Motor Cathedral (you can still see the tower from the A34)

Is this now Seacourt Tower in the Hartwell Ford delership? - I was a graduate recruit in the Hartwell Group - a fairly horrible experience really.

When Hartwell got f**ked over by Rover/BMW at in the mid 1990s they converted the Rover garage by the Cowley factory into a Ford franchise in a very short period (like a weekend or something silly) when the Rover Cowley plant director saw it he went absolutely mental

32,242 · July 31, 2009

These are from here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/co-ophistory/

Flasher!

7,216 · July 31, 2009

And Hirst driving through time in Chelmsford...

Ah! So that's how he stocks his 'period' wardrobe.

13,584 · July 31, 2009

Trigger, is there still an insane number of Co-op shops in Ipswich? In my time there they seemed to be everywhere. They own many of the vehicle dealerships too I seem to remember.I like the Colchester ones. I doubt old people could cross the High Street quite so easily now. Was regularly taken there for shopping, even worked there for a bit and passed my driving test there.

32,242 · July 31, 2009

I thought i'd posted them posts all in the 1980, shop fronts thread, whoops!Yes SL there is still a lot of co-op stores about but most seem to be now taken over by tesco's.Colchester high street has changed a lot, now more likely to get ran over though by a chav in a Saxo!

July 31, 2009

I love these shots from the 80`s Any more ?

August 4, 2009

Ah-ha, you've been trawling the Oxon County photo archive just like I have. I salute you sir.In the pic of Cowley Works, half way up the pic on the left is now the Business Park where I work.BMW Plant Oxford now only occupies a quarter of the old Cowley Works site, bottom right of the pic. Top right and top left are now the Business Park, and bottom left is now a retail park.

August 6, 2009

Following the few shops I posted, some more motoring related tat from the Oxfordshire archives.

Botley, Motor Cathedral (you can still see the tower from the A34)

Is this now Seacourt Tower in the Hartwell Ford delership? - I was a graduate recruit in the Hartwell Group - a fairly horrible experience really.

When Hartwell got f**ked over by Rover/BMW at in the mid 1990s they converted the Rover garage by the Cowley factory into a Ford franchise in a very short period (like a weekend or something silly) when the Rover Cowley plant director saw it he went absolutely mental

It is Seacourt Tower, at some point most of it has been redeveloped and what is car park in this picture is now converted to office space and retaining the tower in the middle of it. Blake Lapthorn solicitors have quite a large chunk of the offices, but much is also empty. Apparently still owned by Hartwells however even though no cars are on site.

Hartwell's are now on the motor park at Kidlington.