NOSTALGIA: Gentleman Eddie wouldn't look out of place on this fire engine
I don’t know if Eddie, as a young man, is in the main photo here.
Alas, it is too late for me to talk to him.
For those who wish to attend his funeral, it is tomorrow, Thursday, at St Mary’s Church, Fratton Road, at 12.30pm. All welcome.
A private cremation will take place afterwards.
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Hide AdA wake is to be held at the Royal British Legion Club, Lucknow Street, just by Fratton Bridge.
As to the photograph, it looks like it is a steam-driven pump to be used alongside the fire engines.
The firemen look a picture, don’t they?
Below we see two winter views along Outram Road, Southsea.
These two views are looking along Outram Road, Southsea, at the same time of year, although about a century apart.
It always amazes me how people used to stop and look at the camera in these street scenes.
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Hide AdOf course, a camera anywhere would have been a novelty back then.
I would expect the cameraman would have been leaning over a tripod with a large dark cloak over his head.
The aperture would have been open for a couple of seconds and the image reproduced on a fragile glass plate.
I would imagine the photographer had got the people seen to pose for the picture and then got them to stand stock-still to avoid ghosting.
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Hide AdGhosting is when white shadows appear of people who have moved when the aperture was open.
As ever, in photographs of this period, the perennial barrow is parked by the kerb.
The modern view, bottom right, is a winter’s day this year.
This picture was taken in a split second with a modern camera.
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Hide AdNot a lot has changed in the road, just the means of transport are different.
The trees are not of the same vintage as the houses. The branches are bare of foliage to get a look-a-like view.
The trees on the right hand side of the road have been done away with.
Have a look into the far distance on both photographs and the chimney stacks are exactly the same, even after a century and with modern central heating no doubt installed.
At one time Outram Road ran into Victoria Road North but was blocked off some 30 years ago.