Luton, George Street c.1950

Photo ref: L117011

More about this scene

Imagine the different noises, smells and preoccupations of the people seen in L117011 in the long-lost world of 1950s Britain. The scene appears to be one of quiet tranquillity, but change was in the air. The people and their leaders sought a better world after years of war and hardship. Alas, their high hopes may have been in vain, if laughter is the measure. According to a recent survey by the cruise company Ocean Village, when they interviewed adults over 18, they found that Britain has 'a worrying trend towards glumness.' The report explains: 'In the 1950s we laughed for an average of 18 minutes daily, but this has dropped to just six minutes.' The over-45s are the most miserable, and 18- to 24- year-old women in Manchester are the happiest. So just look at this picture, and imagine you are back in a time of laughter! In picture L117096, very little has changed. Though there have been some modernising influences, and clothes appear less restrained, all seems very quiet still, but the 1960s period was the herald of a different era. For the time being reassuring local names like Blundell's remained, but the age of the chain store was about to hit town. Debenhams would become the big clothes shop for increasingly fashion-conscious women.