Windmill Bridge - Hanwell

[Richard T]

I came across this web page on Windmill bridge the other day. It is interesting because there are some good images of canal boats in them including a pair of boats from the 1860's and a couple of wide beams from earlier.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/features/windmill_lane_bridge/index.shtml

I particularly like this one taken as a publicity shot for Lyons Tea in the 1920s with lorries, boat and railway waggon all branded.

 

The web site will be of great interest to railway fanatics -  it has many great images on it.

[LEO]

Excellent post, thanks, brought back memories of using this bridge, traffic hold ups and the old AEC factory down the road..... thanks.

L

[cuthound]

I saw a similar photo of the three bridges in a magazine. It was an advert commissioned by British Transport, the train was British Rail, the boat British Waterways and the lorry was British Road Transport.

[billh]

1 hour ago, LEO said:

Excellent post, thanks, brought back memories of using this bridge, traffic hold ups and the old AEC factory down the road..... thanks.

L

Any connection between your user name and Lyons? They had a very early (1950's) commercial computer (LEO)- Lyons Electronic Office. Just wondered, as you appear to have been a local to that area.

Bill

[IanM]

22 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I saw a similar photo of the three bridges in a magazine. It was an advert commissioned by British Transport, the train was British Rail, the boat British Waterways and the lorry was British Road Transport.

This one?

 

Think it has been cropped a bit but you get the idea.

Edited July 25, 2017 by IanM

[cuthound]

Just now, IanM said:

This one?

 

No, but I expect that one was taken at the same time. The photo I saw was taken from the same position as the earlier photo, showing the three bridges.

[LEO]

11 minutes ago, billh said:

Any connection between your user name and Lyons? They had a very early (1950's) commercial computer (LEO)- Lyons Electronic Office. Just wondered, as you appear to have been a local to that area.

Bill

Sorry no, I was based in Harrow and Wembley for my sins from 1972 to '92 and had to travel to Twickenham and Kingston and used Windmill Lane frequently........crossing the A4 by all the factories (now gone), especially the beautiful Art Deco Goodyear? factory, which was demolished in 48 hours to avoid Listing problems.......

[Batavia]

19 minutes ago, LEO said:

Sorry no, I was based in Harrow and Wembley for my sins from 1972 to '92 and had to travel to Twickenham and Kingston and used Windmill Lane frequently........crossing the A4 by all the factories (now gone), especially the beautiful Art Deco Goodyear? factory, which was demolished in 48 hours to avoid Listing problems.......

Firestone, I think!

http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/photo_gwrfirestone_py.shtml

Chris G

Edited July 25, 2017 by Batavia
edited to add link

[LEO]

9 minutes ago, Batavia said:

Firestone, I think!

http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/photo_gwrfirestone_py.shtml

Chris G

That's the one - real shame it was lost, see the Gillette Tower features in one of the pics -  hope all well.

Mike.

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, billh said:

Any connection between your user name and Lyons? They had a very early (1950's) commercial computer (LEO)- Lyons Electronic Office. Just wondered, as you appear to have been a local to that area.

Bill

Shades of my youth - completely irrelevant  and  unimportant in the Scheme of Things, but here goes anyway.

Joe Lyons used to do factory tours at Cadby Hall and I went several times - because you got a free ice cream... Par of the tour went through the LEO computer room. Apart from the size of the boxes it was not very impressive to a ten year old. I still have a photo somewhere. What was impressive was that they used mark sensing on their order sheets - so hordes of punched paper tape operators were not needed. I think the machine was made by Ferranti.

As Cadby Hall was next door to Olympia, they had the catering contract - all the food going underground between the two buildings.

[mark99]

I think Leo was an estate agent............... lol. <jest>.

Went past the Gill. T the other day. Looked empty still. Pevsner was wrong re this building.

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by mark99

[Heartland]

The Aqueduct crossed the GWR Brentford Branch. The publicity photograph for Lyons Tea is of interest as J Lyons were based at Greenford from 1921, beside the Paddington Branch. where the confectionery works were located. They were famous for their tea houses. Lyons Tea, initially of Dublin, and still available in the shops, appear to be a separate concern

A 1894 ordnance map of Windmill Bridge shows the complicated transport network. The GJ/GU canal descended through locks to join the River Brent:

[Drayke]

On 2017-7-25 at 14:04, Heartland said:

The Aqueduct crossed the GWR Brentford Branch. The publicity photograph for Lyons Tea is of interest as J Lyons were based at Greenford from 1921, beside the Paddington Branch. where the confectionery works were located. They were famous for their tea houses. Lyons Tea, initially of Dublin, and still available in the shops, appear to be a separate concern

A 1894 ordnance map of Windmill Bridge shows the complicated transport network. The GJ/GU canal descended through locks to join the River Brent:

There would be certain folks having a hissy fit if this sort of map was published today, top right hand side.

[bizzard]

14 minutes ago, F DRAYKE said:

There would be certain folks having a hissy fit if this sort of map was published today, top right hand side.

St Bernards.

My brother in law was personel manager for Gillette in the 1970's, just up the road from the Firestone building was the Wilkinsons Sword factory. According to my brother in law all the razor blades made there were sent to Gillette to be finally honed because Wilkinson didn't have such fine honing machines as Gillette. Probably why Wilkinsons blades were dearer than Gillette's.  I passed the Ovaltine factory in my boat at Kings Langley in 2005 when it was being demolished, another fine Art Deco building gone.

[Derek R.]

Not entirely gone. The back (canalside) of the Ovaltine factory in 2004. Mostly a far cry from when boats unloaded coal there, all modern boiler house.

Around the front, much has been retained of the original facade.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Derek R.
typo