I thought people might like to see this latest postcard I have acquired of Stockton High Street in 1914. In the foreground is the taxi rank which seems to be in the same place as today but I guess progress was catching up even then as on the left you have two horse and carriage taxi’s and on the right what looks like two modern motor car taxi’s. I guess that was the beginning of the end for the horse drawn taxi. I wonder if there was any difference in the fare?
Image and details courtesy of John Callender.
What’s happening up on the roof at the top right of this picture..looks very crowded..is it people?
Hi Keith, I think it’s the unfortunate consequence of original image quality, compressing images to save storage space and the rather complicated roof line at that point (William IV Hotel and neighbouring properties, as can be seen here https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/stockton-high-street-c1957-7/ )
So I think it’s no more than a trick of the eye/brain, turning distorted chimney stacks into a precariously placed group of of people. Funny how our brains would rather see the unlikely, rather than just the blur, distortion & artefacts in a poor quality image.
Never noticed the top of that building really. Could be statues or even shrubbery growing up there. Alas we will never know as the council in their wisdom decided to knock the blooming lot down.