Walthamstow - Crooked Billet Box

[hb88banzai]

The Box on the Crooked Billet Roundabout in Walthamstow - J20

Here is a blowup of a photo of it from somewhere in the 40s or early 50s --



That's the old Crooked Billet Pub behind the Box.

Here is the full picture showing the whole roundabout area (looking approximately Northwest, up Chingford Road on the right and Walthamstow Avenue being where the trolleybuses are on the left) --



Here's a screen capture of it some time later from a trolleybus video --



Note that it is from a point of view about 90 degrees clockwise from the previous picture. Here's the URL for the video (cued to the relevant clip):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejnRrN3QhgE&feature=player_detailpage#t=411s

This area has changed drastically since that time - a huge elevated circle has been built with an underpass, a pedestrian crossing at the old ground level being sandwiched between the two.

Here's what it looks like now --



And here's what it looked like in 1945 (note that the registration between the two was off on Google Earth by about the width of a house - maybe 10-15 yards) --



You can see what looks like the Box itself at the very center of this shot, with the Crooked Billet Pub visible on the corner just to the Northwest of it.

The Crooked Billet Pub was where the underpass is now, while the Box location was a little to the North of the bottom edge of the central opening of the Circle. That would place it about 10-15 yards beyond the wall (and down to ground level) along the line of site in this street view --



Approximate Site Street View URL:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Crooked+Billet,+Walthamstow,+London,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=51.60044,-0.016297&spn=0.001686,0.007499&sll=51.516434,-0.130441&sspn=0.009334,0.019805&oq=crooked+billet,+walth,+United+Kingdom&hnear=Crooked+Billet,+London+Borough+of+Waltham+Forest,+London+E4,+United+Kingdom&t=m&layer=c&cbll=51.600441,-0.0163&panoid=oVj5h5PMuGtSR-VGPDWKxg&cbp=11,354.51,,0,8.57&z=17

Finally, take a close look at this picture --



It's a picture taken at night of the Crooked Billet Pub some time in the 1960s. Over near the right edge you can see what almost looks like the lit windows and outline of a Police Box right about where it should be, opposite the Crooked Billet's parking lot.  Might just be my imagination, but interesting if it actually is the Box.

[petewilson]

Another shot of this box taken on the 18th May 1937!!

Pete

[hb88banzai]

About time somebody found a decent picture of this Box - nice one, Pete! Great to have a photo with a solid date for a change, and an early one as well.

Doesn't help much, but here's a blowup --



Looks the same as the rest of J Division with their odd mix of Mark 2 and Mark 3 features.

[domvar]

Could be my eyes but that looks like a wooden box to me from the roof line and what looks like a frame around the outside edge of the sign

[DoctorWho8]

A little color adjustment.

Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[hb88banzai]

Could be my eyes but that looks like a wooden box to me from the roof line and what looks like a frame around the outside edge of the sign

Easy to mistake with this kind of resolution, but no. Too tall and too wide, plus the rest of the details don't fit either.

Just one of the odd J Boxes with the pebbled upper windows and high lock like a Mark 2, despite in most other respects being a Mark 3 like Barnet (to which they were contemporaneous). The roof lines on the J's were also like a cross between the earlier Mark 2's and the steeper stack of the Barnet type. If we had better resolution we'd probably see the characteristic two bolts at the top of the main door that attach the chain bracket as well. Seems to be as characteristic of the J's as the bolts on the center divider are for S Division.

Wonder who the builder was for these.

Really does make me wish we had a high resolution scan of the original photo, though. The details in the top signage look odd, but it could just be artifacting.

[Volpone]

I never noticed how wildly different the roof stacks are.  Compared to the Barnett, this one is positively TARDISlike.

[petewilson]

Okay  It's March and here's my last "new" Photo and again its good old J20 This time taken in 1958 and again sorry about the poor scan quality!
Does Glasgow Box Photos still count towards my New Year's resolution?? 

Pete

[petewilson]

A Colour photo of this box from 1968....Enjoy!

[Dalekoracle]

Thats lovely!
Thank you!

Mark

[peterjohn]

It took a while....
But I eventually worked it out!😉

[Angelus Lupus]

Ah, another 'Spot the Box' photo! Took me a moment to find it!