from Brian White

Some more from Brian’s 8mm collection. This is crew 3 on a rally in 1960. Faces include, in order of appearance – Peter Smee (Brian thinks), Frank Hudson, Selwyn Cox, Ian Gibb, Brian Hawkins, Dave Lock + lady, Eddie Stuart, Dave Sydenham, Ron Peverall.

Though the faces may or may not be familiar, this film has other reason to watch, in the things it just sees around the edges….

Behind Tommy Holmes and Ian Gibb is the Hammersmith and City line viaduct, with the platform of the old Wood Lane high level station which had closed the year before in 1959.The houses behind were knocked down to build the BBC multistorey car park.

The Austin Metropolitan was a British design intended for the American market, which as it was the “gas guzzling” early 60s it just shows the marketing abilities of the British motoring industry. The gate they’re going through has been very shut for a long time, with ID card operated security turnstiles.

The Metropolitan heads out into Wood Lane out of what has been the multistorey car park since the 1980s, but was then a small road. Opposite is the generator building of the Central Line, long disused but listed. Probably its finest hour was as a set for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” in 1987, when in February it was dressed around with palm trees and old American cars. Who can understand the mind of a location manager?

Soon it will be part of a huge new shopping centre – the bus station, apparently.