Grantham, Angel And Royal Hotel c.1960

Photo ref: G43099

More about this scene

By the mid 1950s much had changed, and the front of the Angel and Royal Hotel indicates the reason (see G43032 and G43099). Motor transport had been invented, and was becoming very popular indeed. The Second World War had been over for about ten years, and better times were on the way - and so there were traffic direction signs and advertisements for travellers. Lamp-posts that had lost their lamps now became supports for road directions, and streets were lit by electric lamps on long concrete posts; these were not in the least attractive, but were functional. Boots the Chemists were still next door to the hotel, but not for long: they were soon to move further along the High Street as Grantham's shopping centre gravitated towards St Peter's Hill, following the move of the F W Woolworth store from the Market Place. Eventually the redundant lamp-posts were removed and replaced by traffic lights, which seemed to spring up like mushrooms. They still are doing so elsewhere in town. The space left by the Cross Swords pub was still vacant at the time the photograph was taken (to the left in G43099), but would soon be filled in by another most unattractive but functional building.