Britain in the 1950's

I was looking on Flikr for interesting photographs when I came across one mans collection of colour photo's from the 1950's and 60's.
They were taken in Britain, and unusually for this era using colour film which was rare and expensive back then. On seeing this collection I was immediately transported back to the England of my childhood!

Contained within the collection there are also photographs captioned 'Americans stationed in England' which show presumably US service personel and their vehicles, they all seem to be enjoying life in England too!
The next few pictures are of US personel and/or their vehicles taken in a snowy winter of the 1950's.

Take a look at the beautiful Buick roadmaster on the right of this photo', to British eyes in the 1950's any American car would appear unbelievably luxurious! The effect these service personel had on sleepy English towns in their Buicks and chevy's would have been similar to a spacecraft landing in your downtown mall today!

Below is a typical English scene of the 50's, quiet town scenes like this are no longer found as today these little towns are packed solid with modern traffic.

I just had to include this one! (below) These 'country pubs', that have been the image many associate with Britain for years still exist, although sadly none are as busy as once they were.

Finally here's a shot of London in the 1950's. The relaxed pace, and the uncongested roads are in strong contrast to the London of today!
The collection of photographs that this small selection came from provided hours of nostalgic viewing. They are much more than photographs, they are a record and social documentation of the changing face of Britain. The fact that they are in full colour adds an extra dimension to them. Truly a fascinating glimpse into the past!

To see Mr. Doveson's complete collection of Britain in colour take this link.