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Old postcards from the early 20th century, compared to the same view shown on Google Street View today. The postcards come from my own collection. Almost all of them are from England, mainly showing West London, Middlesex, Surrey, Berks and Bucks. Click on the postcards to see enlarged versions. Street View images are the copyright of Google. Comments, questions or requests are welcome. If you repost my images on other websites (such as Facebook) please include a link to my original post.
I don't think the complete removal of trees ever does a view many favours.
ReplyDeleteTrees are definitely important to an urban environment, and those trees in the postcard view, plane trees I think, are not that old. There are a few survivors in the Google view. The Navasartian Centre have created an odd modern design that might have looked better had they preserved the Greco-Roman temple style.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see that there are more people out in the street in the first picture..a reflection of our modern car-bound lives I suppose.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much wonderful detail in your pc. I almost expect to see the cyclist a little further along the road as one can see the wheels turning :)
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy a scene like the first - no posing - a street view of a moment in time.
ReplyDeleteThe scene looks more attractive with people and trees.
ReplyDeleteThe 'today' scene has nothing inviting about it at all. We have lost the character of the older more friendly view.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great old postcard. The view today is however quite non-descript.
ReplyDeleteAs a postcard collector myself, I have been following this blog with interest for some time. It has inspired me to start one on my collection of cards about Guelph, where I now live: guelphpostcards.blogspot.ca. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs usual, the old view is so much nicer than the new.
ReplyDeleteNancy