The Way We Were
April 1961, Colchester
Oh, to be in Colchester, now that spring ’61 has sprung. The oldest town in Britain (and Queen Boudica’s least favourite place) does look rather idyllic in the April sunshine, although as the Sixties have yet to start swinging, so everybody is smartly attired in jackets and coats, with gentlemen in shirts and ties and ladies in dresses that don’t let the knees get tanned. The 192-foot tower of the Town Hall looms municipally over everything; intended to commemorate the 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the building wasn’t actually completed until 1902, the year after she died. Still, she’d probably have liked it if she’d still been around.
There’s a lot for us to like in the High Street alongside. Today the road is narrower and one-way, but this former Roman highway was wide enough for two-way traffic back in the Sixties, with adequate parking both sides. Just nudging into frame on the right is a Hillman Minx Series I, II or III convertible in fetching grey, with contrasting red hood. Its owner has added wire wheels with spin-off hubs – or at least fake trims that look that way. We can’t help but feel they’d look better on the more sporting Sunbeam Rapier version, with its flamboyant side-flash.
After Rootes comes BMC and an Austin A40 Farina MkI. Then – following the rather flimsy moped that looks to be little more than a pedal bike with an engine strapped on – we’re into family Ford territory. Judging by its rear light arrangement and number of doors, the green 100E is a 1959-62 Popular while the white one is a Prefect, with four doors. One of its biggest small car rivals – an Austin A35 – is cuddling up behind. A grey Ford Zephyr MkI, which looked like an upscaled version of a 100E, is next, displaying the extra boot chromework that distinguished it from its lowlier Consul sibling. Parked in the distance is a pre-warstyled Austin, perhaps an Eight, Ten or Twelve. All were also built after the war for a few years before Austin launched its post-war ranges.
Our special bus correspondent, Nick Larkin, got extremely excited about the Massey-bodied AEC Regent V in maroon Colchester Borough Transport livery, because 154 WNO doesn’t appear on any of his Colchester fleet lists, making it something of a mystery. Eventually, he calmed down enough to tell us that the green one is an Eastern National Bristol K-Type, but we’re continuing his medication…
Sandwiched between the buses is a Standard Vanguard Phase II, which
‘Its owner has added wire wheels with spin-off hubs – or at least fake trims that look that way’ PRE-ALLOY FLASHY WHEELS
dispensed with the Phase I models’ ‘Beetle back’ and adopted more conventional three-box styling.
Shade and a significant proportion of dark-coloured cars doesn’t make identification of the cars parked on the other side of the road too easy. Besides, we’re also a little distracted by the lovely red and white striped jacket of the lady crossing the road. But we can make out the razoredged lines of what could well be a Mayflower, Triumph’s rather idiosyncratic 1949-53 attempt to inject big car styling into a compact package. There’s the indistinct shape of something a lot tinier in the row, too – perhaps it’s a Mini leading the early wave that would eventually see examples of Issigonis’ small miracle everywhere as the Sixties progressed. Rather more obvious is the white Triumph Herald convertible facing up to a yellow Thames Trader coming the other way further down the street.
As our current photo shows, the High Street hasn’t changed much – the Town Hall’s still there, as is The George. But thankfully, there’s not a wire wheel in sight. Fake or otherwise…