Purley Way Box

[petewilson]

No idea where this one is (taken from a short film clip about Policewoman using Police Scooters 1960)

[hb88banzai]

Is the original clip viewable on the web? If so, a url would help as it would be useful to see if there are any additional details visible of the surrounding area.

[petewilson]

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist//ITN/1960/10/24/VS241060004/?s=Police+Box&st=0&pn=1#videoPopUpDiv

[hb88banzai]

Aha!

It's Z4 on Purley Way in Waddon, outside The Propeller P.H. (visible on the left side of the above screen grab).

Note that as shown in the film clip and on the OS Maps, the Box then was more like 60-70 yards south of Denning Avenue (depending on where you say Denning Avenue starts) rather than the Met List's indication of 30 yards.

The OS Maps also show the Box's original site was only about 8 yards north of the pictured location, so the Met List would still be 20-30 yards off even then.

More later.

[hb88banzai]

Here are some screen grabs from the above clip - starting off with the view up towards the corner with Stafford Road/Denning Avenue, then swinging past the corner shops and The Propeller before alighting on the Met Box  (24 October 1960) --












Note the A.R.W. Siren mast behind the Box.

Here's what The Propeller looked like some time in the 70s or 80s --



An aerial view --



And what it looked like just before it was demolished a few years ago to make room for the new Waddon Leisure Centre --



Street view of the Box Site as depicted in the film (red pointer - noting that Purley Way has been widened quite a bit since then) --



URL:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51.364108,+-0.118078&hl=en&ll=51.364225,-0.116966&spn=0.000027,0.017939&sll=51.364064,-0.118103&sspn=0.033762,0.071754&t=m&layer=c&cbll=51.3641,-0.118252&panoid=zz9kF0jqMOK6m6ivO3alWg&cbp=12,84.72,,0,0&z=16

OS Map from 1955 showing The Propeller and the Box Site (PCB) --



Note that the pub, sidewalk and street layout in 1955 are all exactly as pictured in the 1960 clip.

Originally the Box was sited 8 yards to the north, apparently being moved when The Propeller was built some time in the 1940s.

Here's a street view of the original Box Site (red pointer) --



URL:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51.364180,+-0.118089&hl=en&ll=51.365029,-0.118253&spn=0.000027,0.017939&sll=51.364104,-0.118253&sspn=0.00844,0.017939&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.3641,-0.118252&panoid=zz9kF0jqMOK6m6ivO3alWg&cbp=12,53.71,,0,0.36

Extract of the OS Maps from 1933-1940 showing the original location (and no Pub) --