London 1930s-1960s: The Photos of John Turner

~ beetleypete

These pictures were taken by John Turner, a property manager based in the centre of London, and were recently unearthed by his daughter and her husband, Liz and Martin Carroll.
Following John Turner’s death in 1987 a suitcase was passed to them by his widow, Betty. A quick glance revealed family photos and other pictures taken for his camera club, and it was consigned to the loft for 30 odd years.

A one-legged singer and his accompanist, busking in the 1950s.

Berwick Street Market, 1957.

A man attracted by the window display. Bond Street, 1960.

This lady doesn’t think much of the man’s unusual outfit. 1956.

Elephants being paraded through traffic to advertise the arrival of a circus. 1937.

Canning Town, 1938. This shop-boy is showing off a large pair of ladies’ bloomers!

A well-stocked hardware shop, 1957.

An East End Street Market in 1940.

Football fans on their way to the Cup Final, 1936. London team Arsenal beat Sheffield United 1-0.

A smart newspaper seller on Horse Guards Avenue, 1937.

This car had been completely crushed in an accident. Howland Street, 1957.

A genteel lady collecting for an animal charity. Regent Street, 1955.

After a hard day’s work, they are heading to the nearest pub. Canning Town, 1935.

28 thoughts on “London 1930s-1960s: The Photos of John Turner”

      1. They brought Italian and German prisoners of war here. They housed them in what was later used as warehouses. One of those places is a block from my house. The show Ghost Hunters went there because the place is supposed to be haunted.

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  6. (1) That suitcase is a head turner.
    (2) The one-legged man is singing, “Billposters Will Be Prosecuted.” Sadly, it never became a hit song.
    (3) Overheard:
    Cleo: “That’s a nice rug. Can I roll myself inside it?”
    Julius: “Yes, but you just ruined the surprise!”
    (4) I read that Za Za got run over by a Bond Bug.
    (5) “There’s scraggly leg hairs sticking out of the hole in that guy’s socks! Eww!”
    (6) Those elephants are special. And stout.
    (7) “I’m a late bloomer. But one of these days..!”
    (8) Selling Permacote Satin Emulsion Paint was on that guy’s bucket list.
    (9) People wore out their shoes walking to the East End Street Market. Fortunately, the market sold shoes.
    (10) Arsenal beat Sheffield United 1-0? Now you tell me! I had a lot of money riding on that game! Gah!
    (11) “Best man married to bride by mistake. FiancĆ© made arrangements to marry flower girl.”
    (12) Auto insurance appraiser: “No problem. That’ll buff right out.”
    (13) Overheard:
    Generous Man: “How much can I donate?”
    Reservoir Dog: “The woof is the limit!”
    Generous Man: “A dog that can talk? I cat believe it!”
    Charity Woman: “It does give one paws. But he can. Don’t ask meow.”
    (14) What pub do they go to after a hard day’s night?

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  8. Pingback: London 1930s-1960s: The Photos of John Turner | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  14. Those are all gems! Poor elephants, though :(. The hardware man must have spent his whole day putting his stuff out. I suppose there was a canopy in case it rained? All sorts of details in these pics.

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