Johnsons Shoes And The Trolleybuses

King Street c1955
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

Back in 1980 I was a very young lorry driver at just 18 years old, and I would regularly deliver to a chain of shoe shops called Johnsons, one of which was situated in the parade of shops in this photo, and I believe it to be on the right near the bus stand. Twickenham was the first and also the last (1931 to 1962) place in London to have trolleybuses serving it, this began with the trolleybuses affectionately named the Diddlers, with their retro fitted single headlight people were diddled into thinking they were trams. The Diddlers were replaced in 1948 by the latest model (the Q1 class) which you can see on the left of the picture, and in 1960 nearly all of that type were exported to Bilbao and Santander in Spain where they worked amazingly until 1975. Some have now returned to our shores and can be ridden on once again at the East Anglia Transport Museum in Suffolk and also at the National Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft near Doncaster. The amazing Francis Frith photo collection gives transport hitorians like me the oppertunity to see wonderful views of things like trolleybuses and old motors living and working in their time and enviroment. Thankyou.