The Internet – invented in Penge
A few years ago I saw this in Greenwich Market and failed to buy it. Then I saw one on eBay, so now I own the Internet.
'Internet' is a quintessential 1960s transistor radio, including leatherette case. This is a 2 band radio (twice as good as broadband, right?). The company were based near Penge West station in South London, about 2 miles from where I live now, and the radio itself was manufactured in Hong Kong.
But what was Penge like in the mid-sixties, I hear you cry? Well, happily, the local Rotary Club decided to capture the district on film just before it was absorbed into Greater London. The BFI have added it online, and it contains some amazing vintage images of what might have been the team ballroom dancing capital of South London... And, of course, the home of the Internet.
Mid-way through the film there's even a shot of a group of kids, one of whom is holding a transistor radio not unlike the one I now own...
You can watch the film at the BFI website HERE.
I always imagine the internet would be a more utilitarian grey, but the blue is quite striking.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Jay, indeed.
DeleteBehind the kids there is a house in the park. I lived there for nine years, and for the whole time I was there it was boarded up but there was an old guy pottering in and out every week or so putting in windows, doing bits of plumbing, paving the outside, etc. Wonder if he's finished yet...??? Sorry this is 'off topic' regarding the internet...but that's the internet for you...
ReplyDeleteMy Mum and Dad worked in that supermarket in the late 60s.
ReplyDeleteI was born and lived in Penge from 1956 till 1977. The photos bring back memories for sure. Me and my mate Bobby Juniper went to see Hard Days Night at the Odeon.
ReplyDelete