Islington

A fascinating shot of Islington in the 1950s. How it has changed. The building just visible, bottom left, is the former Court House, one of the classical buildings on William Brown Street. Next to it, as Islington begins its upward journey towards St Anne Street and ultimately the major junction of Shaw Street and Moss Street, is an impressive Rushworth & Dreaper store, famous for its organs and pianos and clearly expanding its business here into the world of television. This store would ultimately move to Hanover Street. Bottom right is the facade of Commutation Row. It's a shame Georgian buildings like these could not have been renovated and saved.

Islington 1902 with buntingout for Edward V11 coronation.

Islington shops 1905, very different to today's traffic dominated road scheme.

Islington feels isolated and just an extremely busy arterial traffic route in and out of the city now, but I remember it in the 1950s and 1960s in all of its old splendour, captured here in this wonderful picture with Canterbury Street on the right. Look at the shops all the way down on the right. There were numerous Jewish businesses around here, not least because there was once a synagogue nearby. I remember my mother May Rogers taking me to one to get a rare pair of leather school shoes. I was thrilled until she gave me a clear warning the next day that, under no circumstances, was I to play football in them in the Major Lester playground. I used to go in every morning at 8am to take part in multi-sided games until the bell went at 9am. On this day, I asked if I could go in goal so I didn't scuff my new shoes. Then I let a goal in and an older boy told me I had to play out. Clearly we took our football seriously. I wasn't scared of him, but terrified what my mother would say if I scuffed my treasured new leather shoes, which I obviously did. I ended up fighting with that boy at the shed end of the boys playground with 40 kids surrounding us making the traditional 'oo,oo,oo' chant that signalled FIGHT! When I got home my mother just smiled. Boys will be boys and, when it came to football around our way, she knew in her heart of hearts that nothing would stand in our way.

Islington in 1900 with its Military Tailors shop.

3 Islington Square at the start of the 1900s when it was a childen's shelter. The building still stands, now part of Liverpool Hope University.