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Bray Now and Then

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  • #32
    Imhof Tank
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,123 ✭✭✭Imhof Tank


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Was Bray ever this attractive? :)

    Bray+poster.jpg

    "L&NWR" - what is that?

    Lancashire and North West Railway maybe? Blackpool, Preston, Bolton, Blackburn etc - that area of England was the big target market I believe.


  • #33
    Alun
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,547 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Imhof Tank wrote: »
    "L&NWR" - what is that?

    Lancashire and North West Railway maybe? Blackpool, Preston, Bolton, Blackburn etc - that area of England was the big target market I believe.
    London and North Western Railway


  • #34
    mjcb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9 ✭mjcb


    Anybody got photos of shop on main street 'pay and carry' about 1960s 70s???


  • #35
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    mjcb wrote: »
    Anybody got photos of shop on main street 'pay and carry' about 1960s 70s???

    Nope, but I remember 'Pay & Take'/'Pay & Carry' - corner of Florence Road and Main Street (?) - it was Bray's first self service type shop run by Mr.Starkey (?). There was a checkout or two (?) and a baskets - perhaps even a trolley. It was a long time ago - pre Liptons on Quinnsboro Road and later on the Main Street. Back then we even had a branch of Findlaters on Main Street.


  • #36
    poldebruin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,052 ✭✭✭poldebruin


    I did one of these a while ago, it's further down the pages here.

    Looking at my old pix.ie account I had a couple more that I didn't put up so I'll throw them up here too.


    Old International Hotel. Now the Bray Bowl
    84BB29FE05FF4A0697B9AFD60AF9DA14-0000335841-0002377768-00800L-8DD6E3A88D5145E2A0AB995F0CD8307C.jpg



    Promenade with Bandstand looking to Bray Head
    51717018638D4E65BD895B996D8F6812-0000335841-0002377766-00800L-EBE6917EFFF749A79D0AA607F52E08A9.jpg



    Esplanade Hotel - Not much change here!
    EB6BBEE7667A44C2978DB78A4A5CFD1C-0000335841-0002377765-00800L-171D437EC67D42BEA35C5559BD3D1378.jpg



    Marine Station Hotel (I think) replaced with Social Welfare Offices.
    1A8FB32E579B46C8AB2E082E25BFC64F-0000335841-0002377764-00800L-4562F73CEDDA4103AD50F3FCC3BAC3A9.jpg



    The Bray Head Hotel looks identical too.
    9D43398CED81444BA0A470403D64145C-0000335841-0002377763-00800L-5B643601774D4D1A899091B8C402D956.jpg



    Town Hall looks as good as ever 100 years later!
    C8586CB67232485C8EFA9B3436B78DA9-0000335841-0002377769-00800L-D54A24D5E15042D2830055A700777198.jpg



    Men talking at Statue
    61345F36054D4AEBA9D72E179DD01C4D-0000335841-0002377774-00790L-249BB7FF69664605B42B8349858C3BA0.jpg


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  • #37
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    The Promenade pics really show the sad appearance it presents today - seats gone and horrific new lighting.


  • #38
    poldebruin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,052 ✭✭✭poldebruin


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    The Promenade pics really show the sad appearance it presents today - seats gone and horrific new lighting.

    I think they have done quite a good job on the Prom recently. I like the new lighting. The place was the busiest I've ever seen it all summer - and for some months after.

    Compared to how it looked in the late eighties!

    I wish they would have left this as it's own thread. It's not like I'm jamming the Wicklow forum with threads with pictures of Bray. Now the new pictures, instead of being the first post seen when entering the thread, are going to be buried mid way down a 3 year old thread.


  • #39
    marty_crane
    Closed Accounts Posts: 298 ✭✭marty_crane


    Great photos. Whatever folk may think of the current tenant the old Town Hall is a really beautiful building.


  • #40
    loyatemu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,671 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    The Promenade pics really show the sad appearance it presents today - seats gone and horrific new lighting.

    the lights are OK, they're modern but the boat has already sailed on keeping the prom as authentically Victorian.

    Didn't realise there was another large hotel where the SW offices are now - serious reduction in architectural quality with that building and the Bray Bowl replacing the 2 old hotels.


  • #41
    Calibos
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,851 ✭✭✭Calibos


    The Boulevard (Tesco Express building) replacing the magnificent Turkish Baths.

    Worst of all though was that Smyths Toy shop monstrosity replacing the elegant Crazy Prices building.... ;)

    We've indeed lost some landmark buildings in Bray in the last century alright.


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  • #42
    Maudi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,516 ✭✭✭Maudi


    Calibos wrote: »
    The Boulevard (Tesco Express building) replacing the magnificent Turkish Baths.

    Worst of all though was that Smyths Toy shop monstrosity replacing the elegant Crazy Prices building.... ;)

    We've indeed lost some landmark buildings in Bray in the last century alright.

    Imagine you go to school /college /whatever. .train in your chosen architectural line of work..and the best you can do is a square pile of horrendous red brick..that housed the welfare offices and replaced a beautiful building..go you....


  • #43
    marty_crane
    Closed Accounts Posts: 298 ✭✭marty_crane


    Calibos wrote: »
    Worst of all though was that Smyths Toy shop monstrosity replacing the elegant Crazy Prices building.... ;)

    It says it all when Smyth's, ugly though it is, is actually easier on the eye than that horrendous sight that was Crazy Prices


  • #44
    keano_afc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,711 ✭✭✭keano_afc


    Great photos. I must say, Bray is fantastic if you're a history buff. I love living here.


  • #45
    Annasopra
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,228 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    loyatemu wrote: »
    the lights are OK, they're modern but the boat has already sailed on keeping the prom as authentically Victorian.

    Didn't realise there was another large hotel where the SW offices are now - serious reduction in architectural quality with that building and the Bray Bowl replacing the 2 old hotels.

    Thats all either apartments or offices or Ocean/Platform pizza bar now not Social Welfare for about 7 or 8 years

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



  • #46
    loyatemu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,671 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    same location in use as a canteen for railway workers (courtesy off JD in the Train forum):
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=92887620&postcount=16

    Edit - actually, maybe not just for railway workers, probably a cafe run by the railway company.


  • #47
    L1011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 72,959 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    loyatemu wrote: »
    Edit - actually, maybe not just for railway workers, probably a cafe run by the railway company.

    It was - I believe there were two 'refreshment rooms' in Bray due to the amount of tourist traffic it once saw!


  • #48
    Zebbedee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 445 ✭✭Zebbedee


    loyatemu wrote: »
    same location in use as a canteen for railway workers (courtesy off JD in the Train forum):
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=92887620&postcount=16

    Edit - actually, maybe not just for railway workers, probably a cafe run by the railway company.

    That building looks remarkably similar to what stands there today. The other interesting thing about that photo is the railings in the foreground that stand up on a 4 or 5 foot granite wall. I don't remember that wall, only the railings. That means the ground has been built up to meet the wall at some time.
    Can anybody put a date on that photo?


  • #49
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Zebbedee wrote: »
    That building looks remarkably similar to what stands there today. The other interesting thing about that photo is the railings in the foreground that stand up on a 4 or 5 foot granite wall. I don't remember that wall, only the railings. That means the ground has been built up to meet the wall at some time.
    Can anybody put a date on that photo?

    The GSR (Great Southern Railways) operated from 1925-1945 and the building was probably built during this period as it is classic Art Deco in style.


  • #50
    poldebruin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,052 ✭✭✭poldebruin


    Not sure if anyone has seen the photos of Bray over at the Irish Photo archive

    What make them interesting imo is the fact that they look like they could have been taken yesterday, the quality is so impressive.

    A couple of my favourites:

    Carlisle Grounds, 1956, hasn't aged a day!

    Winning Dog in dogshow, bandstand, 1952

    Strike at Ardmore Studios, 1967

    Of course you can enter any search term, it seems a bit hit and miss as to what might return in the results though. If you like old photos of Ireland, there's plenty of browsing to be done here.

    General photos of Wicklow area too.


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