Memory Lane

We head to the pictures at the Odeon Marble Arch in 1971.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Now there was a wonderful children’s movie. One scene saw museum exhibits coming to life defeat dastardly Nazi commandos, so it’s perhaps appropriate that in this 1971 shot, a museum exhibit that survived WWII happens to be passing the Odeon Marble Arch cinema built four years previously.

ST922, a 1930 AEC Regent I with Thomas Tilling body, served as a guardroom during the war, and also went to Birmingham to bolster the Birmingham & M idland Motor Omnibus Company’s fleet devastated by bombing. Here, in happier times, it had just been restored and put into service on sightseeing route 100. Its passengers would have been marvelling at the 19th century Marble Arch coming up on the right.

I’m a ‘Lahndener’

Those in the cars surrounding it would probably have been more jaded to that sight, assuming they’re ‘Lahndeners’. The driver of the 1965 Austin FX4 taxi cab no doubt was, while we can imagine the owner of the gold Jaguar Mk2 being just the type who’d inhabit this posher part of the city.

Trailing behind the Regent, we have more typically mainstream cars such as the Morris Minor Traveller, possibly just back from the continent judging by its yellow headlamps. There’s also a red Morris 1100 MKI, a nearly new J-reg Ford Escort XL and an obligatory Mini in MKI Austin Super Deluxe form. But there’s also a Triumph TR6; perfect for prowling the West End by night with a gentleman driver who’d no doubt be partial to a tipple of what ST922 is advertising on its flanks.