The Chronicle

Mystery snapshots

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THESE two striking photograph­s were almost certainly taken somewhere in Newcastle at some time during the 1930s – but other than that, there is no informatio­n.

They were sent to us by Ian Findlay, of the North East Bus Preservati­on Trust, who says: “Do you think your readers might be able to help in identifyin­g this location?

“It is thought to be in Newcastle, as there are adverts for the Brighton and Plaza cinemas, both on Westgate Road, and the Empire Theatre on Newgate Street.”

From the very noticeable adverts on hoardings that provide the backdrop to the photograph­s, we can work out the images were captured in the mid-1930s.

The Gracie Fields film – Love, Life, Laughter, which was showing at the Plaza cinema – came out in 1934, while My Wife’s Family, a comedy play starring Fred Duprez at the Empire, was also doing the rounds at the time.

Ian explains how he came across the photograph­s.

“Some years ago, the bus museum was given some old glass negatives by a chap called Gordon Kell. Gordon’s daughter was taking over a lease on a shop, previously occupied by a photograph­er, and these negatives came to light when clearing out the shop.

“Gordon knew of my interest in old motor transport and passed the negatives on to me. We subsequent­ly had them printed and enlarged, and were able to identify most of the locations.

“We think the photograph­er was a Mr Norman, as his name appears somewhere, but have no other means of identifyin­g him. Gordon sadly passed away some time ago.”

He continues: “We think the photograph­er had a contract with the company who used the billboards for advertisin­g. His locations all have the advertisin­g boards on show.

“These pictures show a curved road with a road joining at the top near the Palethorpe’s advert. There are no tram lines evident, so it’s maybe not a main road. An old bus is a little blurred near one of the chimneys, but we don’t think it is a United vehicle. Perhaps the best clue is the name SUNSET on one of the chimneys.”

If you know where these photograph­s were taken, drop me an email at david. morton.editorial@reachplac.com – or leave a comment in the section below.

For more old pictures from your area, check out our new Memory Lane feature.

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