Friday, August 29, 2008

Then and Now #2

Again, many thanks to Gaston from France, who sent some of his pictures, taken when he lived here in the late 50s early 60s, and enabled us to do this comparative series.
This is St Augustine's Cathedral, taken in 1960.
And here it is this week.
As with the Campanile view, I really question whether "progress" has brought around any improvement. The lovely gardens and fountain in front of City Hall, with natural stone paving, has been replaced by a large area of bland brick paving, on which all the city counsellors park, so that the whole thing in an uninviting maze you have to navigate through. The Church has changed little, but the lovely building on the right has been pulled down, to allow for White's Road to be widened, and the rest of the plot is now an open space next to the main library, with underground public toilets and a sidewalk leading up the hill. The ugly oxo cube building behind it is the offices of the Receiver of Revenue, where one goes to file tax forms and part with one's hard earned money in order to pay for all this "progress"..... in fact that reminds me, rats, I need to go there and do a provisional tax return today!

4 comments:

  1. hi Sue
    I really appreciate what you are doing with my old photos and am looking forward to seeing the next ones. PE has sure changed. I remember one of my favourite places (Alecs Cafe near the King Edwards hotel) where I could enjoy a lovely steak and chips, and the Sky Roof (Marine hotel) where I often went dancing. If I find more photos of the good old times I will send them to you
    Gaston Crepelle

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  2. hello sister town!
    yes, we like to attend in sister city and just registrated. I didnt catch your emailaddress.. but please send me an email : ella_lo123@hotmail.com

    see you!
    Lo and David
    gothenburg daily city

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  3. I agree - no progress there. I have never liked that nasty bricked-over space in front of the City Hall - the fountains are much nicer. Wish I were old enough to remember them.

    Gaston - my parents used to go to the Skyroof in the 1960s and loved it! By the time I was at university it had been changed into a nightclub called Valentino's, which had the best view of any nightclub I had ever been to :)

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  4. Jeanne, glad to know somebody remembers the Sky Roof. Ask your parents if they remember Alec's Cafe (around the corner from the King Edwards Hotel
    Gaston

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