The first of two postcards I picked up showing the High Street, Deal, has an easily recognisable building, helpfully labelled "Bank" over the door. This card dated from the early 1900s. It has room for a message on the back but warns that it should be used only within the United Kingdom.
Out of interest, I went to see if I could take a photo of the same place today. The building marked "Bank" is still a bank but the doorway is obscured by road signs and traffic lights. The lovely William Darracott's building on the left appears to have been demolished or possibly it was damaged by the bombing that the town suffered during WWII. The "To Let" sign on the present building is a sad reflection of many High Streets today.
A more recent card but I was able to find out that the car registration nearest the camera, EMJ 717, was issued in 1946.
At first I was struggling to identify this part of the High Street but then I spotted Marks & Spencer. What would we do without Marks & Spencer? They are still in the same place but again the building on the left has been demolished and replaced by a modern, dare I say, monstrosity. This time it wasn't bombing that caused the demolition. The Ricemans shop was burnt down in 1964 but rather than rebuilding, the proprietor, Fred Riceman, decided to move to the nearby but much larger city of Canterbury.
The white building on the right (behind the scaffolding) was once a hotel but is now an amusement arcade. And it's not as though Deal has a super-abundance of decent hotels.
A post for Sepia Saturday. A click on the button will take you to the Sepia Saturday blog where you can find links to all the other people taking part.
Interesting contrasts in the various pictures - shame our High Streets are suffering so much these days though. Jo
ReplyDeleteIt is, it's a great shame.
DeleteYou are inspiring me to look through my box of postcards when I get home!!
ReplyDeleteYou must!
DeleteCould you imagine your coloured snaps being used as Postcards and being looked at wistfully in a 100 years time?
ReplyDeleteMaybe... but somehow I doubt it.
DeleteThanks for dropping by and visiting!!!
ReplyDeleteI'll be following you!
Very interesting comparing the same views. Now I'm thinking of doing the same kind of thing in my little town. mmmm. See what you've started!
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see the same street at different times.
ReplyDeleteAh you are making me go all nostalgic again. But there was so much more interest back in those days, so much more of the unexpected, so much less bland and corporate.
ReplyDeleteHigh Street where I live has gone through several transformations like your High Street. Right now it's all about "revitalization" and returning to the "old" look. It's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on your comment about monstrosities. But I am afraid that Deal is no exception in this respect...
ReplyDeleteLovely postcards, but the 'now' view is always such a shock to the senses!
ReplyDeleteThe bank on the corner seemed familiar although I've never been to Deal, I just cant't remember where the others are that I've seen. Destruction of our High Streets seems to be a national pastime.
ReplyDeleteI really like idea of "before and after" pictures. I saw a long article somewhere, once, that showed famous landmarks or well-known scenes today and how they were a hundred or so years ago. It was interesting. But the contrast of streets then and now is very intriguing too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alan Burnett - the older views of High Streets are much more interesting for their individuality. It is annoying for me whenever I try to take a photo of a street scene and am confronted with so many signposts and huge garbage/recycling bins in the way. The early 1900 postcard is blessedly free from all that.
ReplyDeleteNazi bombs, the developer's wrecking ball ... not much difference after the even, is there? Those ubiquitous advertising signs and hoardings in garish patterns and colours designed to stand out in a sea of garishness irritate me immensely. The cars less so, as in a few decades they, too, will hopefully be a sign of the times.
ReplyDeleteSuper! I love looking at old and new photos of the same streets and buildings. Thanks for exploring and capturing the present day shots!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the befores out shine the now again- I especially like the autos too!
ReplyDeleteI do like comparing the then and now shots, and how sad that the Darracott building is no longer there. I couldn't see it surviving in a modern age but those lamps etc outside should have been preserved.
ReplyDeleteGreat postcards. I enjoyed the before and after. How neat that the bank is still there.
ReplyDeleteKathy M.