Penzance 1959 aerial photo

The building in front of the left gasometer was the Gas Works. What a stinky place it was??

The site still looks like a bombed site, we worked on many a scheme to improve the area, but it seems that the devastation is preferred for the visitor to be shown.

The Gas Board Office was just where Pound Stretcher is now, it used to be a particularly fine granite building, classic, but with a touch of fine art nouveau detailing. Designed by Oliver Caldwell, a fine Penzance architect.

My gran used to send my dad for a walk round the gas works when he had a bad chest! and aparently it was good for whooping cough!

Well that was a good wheeze

Vertical retort house built by Woodall-Duckham

This photo also shows what an act of folly it was to fill in part of the harbour for a car park.

I m surprised at the date given. I used to go down to the Harbour Car Park site on Sunday mornings in the mid-1960s. It was then being filled with quarry waste and a friend and I went there to seek mineral samples. The extent of the harbour in this picture look quite similar to the current day. I know I ve got my dates right, was the extent of the harbour less than I recall ? I thought it extended more or less up to the bus station.

There are a number of other clues here, it would need a bit of time to check out those buildings that have changed or have been replaced.

I ve seen another aerial photo like this that used to be up in Branwells Meadery (still there?) Can we get a copy up here?