WINTER 1962 PICCADILLY, LONDON
It was the year trafficators were last fitted to a new car in the UK, the world’s first regular passenger hovercraft service began – and smog enveloped London
‘The new underpass was emblematic of a new post-war capital dominated by tower blocks’ ICONS OF POST-WAR LONDON
Some 120,000 vehicles passed through Hyde Park corner in the early 1960s and so London County Council commissioned CubittsFitzpatrick- Shand to build two 1000ft-long tunnels that would allow traffic to flow freely between Knightsbridge and Piccadilly. The Hyde Park Corner Traffic Scheme cost £5 million to build and was opened on October 17, 1962 by the Duke of Wellington. Seen making an exit is a rather jovial looking fellow in a Rover P4; he is either making a hand signal for a right turn or (more likely) waving at the photographer. The two-tone Bedford CA behind was arguably the market leader for British light commercials until the launch of the Ford Transit in 1965. The frontal treatment and one-piece windscreen denote it as being a 1958-on second-generation model.
The MGA 1600 MkI (note the flush-fitting grille bars and amber indicators) might be the property of an avid weekend racer, judging by its numberplate. The ‘ bunny ear’ flashers on the Austin FX3 taxi denote a later model and although they had been replaced by the FX4 some four years before this picture was taken, they would remain in service until the late 1960s. To the rear of the black cab is a Morris Oxford Series IV Traveller, followed by a Wolseley 1500 driven by a gentleman sporting the correct headgear for such a fine motorcar. The Mini fitted with a roof rack is an Austin; 1962 was an auspicious year for the Issigonis masterpiece as December 12 marked the point when total sales exceeded 500,000.
The right-hand traffic stream is dominated by the bulk of a removals van with a cabin by Briggs Motor Bodies. This coachwork was used by the Dodge 100 Series, Leyland Comet and Fordson Thames ET6 and, judging by the position of the sidelight, we think this is an example of the last-named. The CA behind it is an early version, with a split windscreen and less elaborate grille – this one seems to belong to the well-known Hammersmith furniture company, Pope & Sons. Following the Bedford is another Mini while one car behind is Dagenham’s offering in the van market – the Thames 400E. Power was from either the Ford Consul MkII’s 1703cc engine or a Perkins diesel.
The splendid-looking rump going the opposite way belongs to a Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’. The Met Police already had a fleet of these when this shot was taken, but the colour, lack of wireless antennae and hard-top denotes a civilian model. Just glimpsed through the rear screen of explorer Barbara Toy’s Land Rover (might that be the lady herself behind the wheel?) is a VW Beetle, while an Isetta 300 is about to make the journey to Knightsbridge. These were made in Brighton by Isetta of Great Britain under licence from BMW from 1957 until 1962.
Meanwhile, alternative forms of transport are provided by a Ford Thames 300E delivery van and the packed AEC Regent RTs on the number 19 (Finsbury Park to Tooting Bec station) and 38 (Clapton Pond to Victoria bus station) routes. The now-iconic Routemaster may have been introduced in 1956 but the older RT still dominated London Transport during the 1960s. The FX4s were the first black cabs in the capital to be equipped with four doors and some drivers bemoaned the lack of the FX3’s opening windscreen – so useful when experiencing a pea-souper. In the taxi’s wake is a BMC LD- Series van which, according to the brochure, was ‘designed for the tradesman who insists on efficiency.’
The diminutive size of the AustinHealey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite is emphasised by the Austin K8 ‘Three Way’ van behind. These were so-called because of their double doors on the nearside and offside and at the time of this shot the Austin belonging to ‘Fifth Avenue’ would have been at least eight years old. Bringing up the rear of the No 19 is what looks like a Luton-bodied Ford Thames Trader.
In the smoggy background are a double-decker bus advertising Typhoo Tea, an F-Type Vauxhall Victor and some pre-Warboys Report road signs.
Above all, the new underpass was emblematic of a new post-war capital where the skyline was increasingly dominated by tower blocks and where private car ownership was far less remote a prospect than just a decade earlier. It would be an horrible cliché to state that ‘Swinging London’ was just around the corner, but a genuine air of change could be sensed. In this new England, a new Morris 1100 could be yours for a small deposit – live now, pay later…