Kingston in the Fifties

Plans for a new-look Kingston were drawn up in the 1930s but the Second World War brought everything to a halt. When the war finally ended, there was a longing for a new beginning. Fine old landmarks were pulled down to make way for the new. Shops, offices and high-rise buildings sprung up on many a historic corner. In hindsight, some were no less than eyesores. However, though Kingston was starting to change architecturally, few could have guessed that the 1950s spelt the gradual beginning of the end for industries that still dominated the local economy but which would vanish over the next three decades. The greatest change was to be along the riverside. In the Fifties, it was still industrial. Today, there is a fine promenade and cafes in place of wharfs, cranes and warehouses.

Most of the pictures in this book have rarely been seen before. They came from hundreds of glass negatives offered to June Sampson two decades ago. She has carefully archived them over the years with the help of Stephen Day and presented them to Kingston Museum and Heritage Centre. In collaboration with Mark Davison, some of these striking images can now be shared with the people of Kingston, past and present, through the pages of this book.