1960s motoring atlas
Discussion
Found in an antiques stall, this leather wallet contains maps and town plans for Britain at some point in the 1960s. The M1 runs from London to Coventry, and there is a bit of M50 in the west. This would have fitted well into the glovebox or door pocket of many a 60s car. If you want to see the map of your town, shout out and I will see if it is in the book.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 19th May 07:59
Turbobanana said:
I live in Milton Keynes. Unless the map dates from post-1967 it won't be in there...
Milton Keynes has existed since the 11th Chttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middleton,_Milton_Ke...
giantdefy said:
Turbobanana said:
I live in Milton Keynes. Unless the map dates from post-1967 it won't be in there...
Milton Keynes has existed since the 11th Chttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middleton,_Milton_Ke...
Turbobanana said:
giantdefy said:
Turbobanana said:
I live in Milton Keynes. Unless the map dates from post-1967 it won't be in there...
Milton Keynes has existed since the 11th Chttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middleton,_Milton_Ke...
Quite a bewildering place when it was all plot numbers and unnamed roads .
Like many it got dumped when I moved on .
Keep it stiff said:
And you can really zip round, even in the centre it is a good layout. I'm not sure how MK driving became the butt of jokes.
Very true, although I'm into my 10th year here now and it's appreciably busier than it used to be.Anecdotally I have heard that the roundabouts, while better than traffic lights for keeping traffic moving, are actually a source of problems for the many UK residents who learned to drive in other countries. It seems the UK is quite rare in having 2, 3 or even 4 lanes on the approach to a roundabout: many seem confused by this so you get a lot of turning right from left lanes and vice versa.
Turbobanana said:
Very true, although I'm into my 10th year here now and it's appreciably busier than it used to be.
Anecdotally I have heard that the roundabouts, while better than traffic lights for keeping traffic moving, are actually a source of problems for the many UK residents who learned to drive in other countries. It seems the UK is quite rare in having 2, 3 or even 4 lanes on the approach to a roundabout: many seem confused by this so you get a lot of turning right from left lanes and vice versa.
Given that it is 50+ years since MK was set out it has stood up to the escalation of traffic volume really well. Granted they have widened some roundabouts and various new roads have been added however the core routes remain the same. In particular traffic in the business district works really well with the inner roads/parking areas split from the dual carriageways that link them, mind you, the various parking zones very easily trip up the unwary. Anecdotally I have heard that the roundabouts, while better than traffic lights for keeping traffic moving, are actually a source of problems for the many UK residents who learned to drive in other countries. It seems the UK is quite rare in having 2, 3 or even 4 lanes on the approach to a roundabout: many seem confused by this so you get a lot of turning right from left lanes and vice versa.
The Atlas displays AA and RAC phone boxes! I wonder how many of those are left. I can think of a few in Wales. The AA and RAC dude would be on a motorbike or in a small van. Then as now, he (now might be she) would be able to fix many 60s car problems at the roadside, but otherwise you might have a night in a local hotel or a night sleeping in the car
1969, on the way back from Ireland, Morris Traveller broken down in Betsw y Coed, no AA or RAC membership, no money, no working phone box, and nobody in the town, police included, would let my dad use their phone to summon my uncle from Birmingham with his towbar equipped car - I still dislike North Wales. My dad hitched a ride on a lorry to a bank to cash a cheque and then to and from a scrapyard the next day and got the bit he needed to fix the car. The lorry driver was a cockney geezer with a good toolkit and he and my dad fixed the car together. The driver wouldn't accept a pint from my dad, as he had to get back on route. My mum was pleased, as she was very keen to press on for home.
1969, on the way back from Ireland, Morris Traveller broken down in Betsw y Coed, no AA or RAC membership, no money, no working phone box, and nobody in the town, police included, would let my dad use their phone to summon my uncle from Birmingham with his towbar equipped car - I still dislike North Wales. My dad hitched a ride on a lorry to a bank to cash a cheque and then to and from a scrapyard the next day and got the bit he needed to fix the car. The lorry driver was a cockney geezer with a good toolkit and he and my dad fixed the car together. The driver wouldn't accept a pint from my dad, as he had to get back on route. My mum was pleased, as she was very keen to press on for home.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 19th May 11:20
Nice to see old stuff like that - this one came from my Dad when we cleared out his flat, it's from 1965 and is full of lovely descriptions and hundreds of illustrations, almost every other page has a half timbered building of some sort, it's quite a hefty old thing with the thickness of a telephone book....
Breadvan72 said:
1969, on the way back from Ireland, Morris Traveller broken down in Betws y Coed, (spelling corrected)no AA or RAC membership, no money, no working phone box, and nobody in the town, police included, would let my dad use their phone to summon my uncle from Birmingham with his towbar equipped car - I still dislike North Wales.
This feels like my home thread, as I'm originally from North Wales and used to pass through Betws quite regularly. I can certainly understand why BV might have been stuck there in 1969 - depending on which provider you use, mobile signal can be quite patchy even now! AND Dil's Diner is no longer there, providing the best bacon butties and coffee for hill walkers.Edited by Breadvan72 on Tuesday 19th May 11:20
Breadvan72 said:
The Atlas displays AA and RAC phone boxes! I wonder how many of those are left. I can think of a few in Wales. The AA and RAC dude would be on a motorbike or in a small van. Then as now, he (now might be she) would be able to fix many 60s car problems at the roadside, but otherwise you might have a night in a local hotel or a night sleeping in the car
1969, on the way back from Ireland, Morris Traveller broken down in Betsw y Coed, no AA or RAC membership, no money, no working phone box, and nobody in the town, police included, would let my dad use their phone to summon my uncle from Birmingham with his towbar equipped car - I still dislike North Wales. My dad hitched a ride on a lorry to a bank to cash a cheque and then to and from a scrapyard the next day and got the bit he needed to fix the car. The lorry driver was a cockney geezer with a good toolkit and he and my dad fixed the car together. The driver wouldn't accept a pint from my dad, as he had to get back on route. My mum was pleased, as she was very keen to press on for home.
There is still an AA box at Mere, near M6 J19, indeed maybe it has been listed. It was a regular landmark for me however the junction was by-passed a couple of years ago. Is it on your map?1969, on the way back from Ireland, Morris Traveller broken down in Betsw y Coed, no AA or RAC membership, no money, no working phone box, and nobody in the town, police included, would let my dad use their phone to summon my uncle from Birmingham with his towbar equipped car - I still dislike North Wales. My dad hitched a ride on a lorry to a bank to cash a cheque and then to and from a scrapyard the next day and got the bit he needed to fix the car. The lorry driver was a cockney geezer with a good toolkit and he and my dad fixed the car together. The driver wouldn't accept a pint from my dad, as he had to get back on route. My mum was pleased, as she was very keen to press on for home.
Edited by Breadvan72 on Tuesday 19th May 11:20
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