Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Sept 7, 2019 19:20:39 GMT
Mentioning John Betjeman in the Euston discussion reminded me of this interesting documentary he presented from 1973. Metroland was the name given to outer suburbs of North West London, extending towards Buckinghamshire from the terminus of the Metropolitan line at Baker Street, areas like Harrow, Pinner, Northwood etc. The areas were developed from the first world War up to about the mid 30s and were a kind of rural idyll, from where you could commute to the city on the train.
It puts me in mind of some of the outer Sweeney locations, where the squad ventured a bit further afield. Could imagine Haskins living there! The documentary was very good and captured early to mid 70s suburbs brilliantly
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Bojan Scores
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Terry you’re very devious when a bird’s involved...
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Post by Bojan Scores on Sept 9, 2019 19:44:24 GMT
John Betjeman was a lovely, affable man and I can understand his popularity with the public in his attempt to save historic buildings. Many of his old television programmes are absolute delights, and the passage of time have not dimmed these gems. I also like Ian Nairn who made similar television but with a slant on architectural critiques. He was a much more angrier version of Betjeman (possibly), and like Betjeman his TV still makes hugely interesting television. It’s definitely worth checking out ‘Nairn across Britain’ on YouTube, to see this flawed man who was ahead of his time on the then vexed subject of town planning.
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Post by Charles Bronson on Sept 9, 2019 20:34:51 GMT
I watched one of John Betjeman's programmes several months ago. It was about a Somerset line and the various stops along it. I think it was made in '63. I remember going on Google street maps and looking up the town where the train terminated, and it was sad to look at the modern town compared to how it used to look. I was also watching something a few weeks back about the Beeching cuts of the early sixties and being surprised at how drastic the cuts were. The stations they closed ran into the hundreds apparently, but on some of those lines there were very few people indeed at that time, that were using the services.
Charles.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Sept 9, 2019 21:58:09 GMT
About a third of the rail network was closed during the Beeching cuts, over about a five year period. The minister of transport, who got mentioned in the Euston thread was Ernest Marples and he was behind it. He was possibly one of the most bent politicians of all time and his motivation was that he part owned a road construction company so he could award himself lots of government contracts for road building due to the increase in traffic which the rail closures would cause.
He got the contract for the M1, and deliberately built it with four lanes, knowing that it would have to be widened so he could get a further one for the widening. Eventually he had to do a runner to France as customs and excise were after him for tax dodging.
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Post by Charles Bronson on Sept 9, 2019 22:19:38 GMT
I have heard of Ernest Marples through the years of course, but it's only fairly recently that I've heard he was bent. Pity he couldnt have done some porridge but business people and politicians seem to be immune from that in our country.
Charles.
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Post by Dirty Epic on Sept 10, 2019 16:36:36 GMT
I remember that Metroland documentary being on daytime BBC2 now and then in the 80's and (maybe) 90's.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Sept 10, 2019 17:13:40 GMT
I have heard of Ernest Marples through the years of course, but it's only fairly recently that I've heard he was bent. Pity he couldnt have done some porridge but business people and politicians seem to be immune from that in our country. Charles. If anyone needed to be sent to Slade with Fletch and Lenny Godber it was Marples. He up to all sorts, he was into a property scam with the slum landlord, Rachnan, too. He would tip Rachman off if any property was going to be compulsorily purchased for one of his road schemes so Rachman would buy it cheap, then would profit from the compulsory purchase, which he would split with Marples. He was also strongly rumoured to be the man in the mask. At the time of the Profumo affair, this character used to serve the drinks at the adult parties Steven Ward used to host, wearing just a full face mask and the frilly apron from a maids uniform. His identity was never 100% established but Marples was strongly suspected of this. And this crook was in charge of our transport. The mind boggles
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Post by Charles Bronson on Sept 10, 2019 18:54:00 GMT
Very interesting Cartman. I thought I knew stuff about the sixties but all this about Marples is news to me. He sounds like he was a right kinky sod. I would love to read his life story.
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Post by Sam Tyler on Sept 10, 2019 19:00:57 GMT
He sounds like he was a right kinky sod. I would love to read his life story. Go and have a cold shower Charlie, you'll only end up with impaired vison. Sam.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Sept 11, 2019 17:05:39 GMT
Actually Marples and Beeching were responsible for Dad getting our first car, in 1966,as our local railway line, the electric line from Bury to Manchester Victoria, was threatened with closure. As it happened, it was reprieved, so he didn't need to have got one!
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