London In Photos, 1960: Bob Collins

~ beetleypete

I was 8 years old in 1960, so many of these images are familiar to me from my youth.

Bob Collins left his trade as a watchmaker to become a photojournalist. From 1947 until the end of the 1960s, many of his photos became famous. I have chosen a selection of his photos that were all taken in the year 1960.

Here is Bob photographed with his camera, 1960.

People wait to hand their tickets to the ticket collector, Victoria Mainline Station, London.

Before it became a familiar photographic ‘trick’, Bob experimented with blurring, using slow shutter speeds. Victoria Station again.

A patient bus queue on a rainy night in Central London.(I have waited for an 88 bus more times than I care to remember.)

A lady buying fish at Billingsgate Fish Market, City of London.

A Facist Party rally, Trafalgar Square. The far-right supporters had clashed with left-wing opponents.

Female tennis fans at Wimbledon, very smartly dressed.

Bob ventured outside London to catch Londoners enjoying leisure time. Here are some people resting on Brighton Beach, in Sussex.

This man is checking the form at the Epsom Derby horse race, Surrey.

46 thoughts on “London In Photos, 1960: Bob Collins”

        1. From the 1960s on, I believe. People had better jobs, women and girls became more independent, and people began to buy homes instead of renting. The burgeoning middle classes wanted more out of life, including watching Opera, Open-Air Concerts, and live sporting events like Wimbledon.
          Best wishes, Pete.

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  2. I like these kinds of photos.
    I grow up in a very small village in the sixties. I never saw things like that.
    It is very intersting to see all those images. Thank you for sharing.

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  12. It really was just like that. I imagine young people today may find it hard to believe. My dad had a Rolliflex and I still have many of the amazing photos he shot c 1956-60

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  17. (1) Bob Collins invented the invisible selfie stick.
    (2) In Paris, drivers used to be ticket collectors. When a new president was elected, the government traditionally forgave all past traffic fines.
    (3) British housewives knew all about shutter speeds, especially the ones that were cheating on their husbands. #RearWindow
    (4) Waiting for a Double Infinity bus always seems like an eternity…………….
    (5) The fish market’s billing was handled at the gate.
    (6) The best way to avoid fights is for one group to stay far to the left, for the other group to stay far to the right, and for cops to occupy the center.
    (7) It was a sunny day at the tennis match. One lady is squinting. She forgot to bring her sunglasses. The lady in the foreground has some giraffe in her DNA.
    (8) The trash can had been standing up all day, and was getting tried. But noticing all the humans lying on the ground, it thought about doing the same. As it debated this idea, it slowly began to lean…
    (9) At the Epsom Derby, they feed the horses Epsom salts. These salts contain magnesium that help horses maintain muscle and gut motility. (Bettors aren’t the only ones who have gut feelings.)

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  19. Looks like Bob has a Rolliflex camera. I had one and they were the best I ever owned. It could be set for f stop speeds up to 1,000 as I recall even though I always used f-8 at 500 for black and white.

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