photosofthepast

Ray, just last night I had the same idea - in all this deliberation no-one had thought about getting more detail from the original. Firstly I'll have to find it, then I'll see what I can do in terms of re-scanning it. And to answer your final question, it's a glass lantern slide.

Well you could also try this one, at least to confirm if you think it's a canal or not? The height of the bridge makes me think it is navigable but I'm not going to fall into the trap of making any claims See original at

Well, I know this debate has become a little contentious but I'd just like to thank everyone for chipping in and sharing their opinion. Just go easy folks - we all say things using language that we may later retract, but I can't see that anyone here has at any point tried to deliberately mislead, nor be so narrow minded as to not consider other opinions. Sorry, just felt that needed to be said! Anyway, I tried to call into the lock office at Brentford today only to be told by a passer by that it closed down a week or so ago. Can anyone confirm that? Are there any other offices or staff based in or near Brentford? I'm thinking we might at least get to the bottom of the date question, specifically when those gates were changed. Give me a minute and I'll post modern views that I tried to take of both this and the other Brentford image mentioned previously. [Edit: give me until tomorrow - on looking at my pictures I didn't quite get the angle correct so I'll re-shoot tomorrow as I'll be passing through Brentford again]

Thanks for that, I finally found it (I was looking at wrong date!). Great picture - http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=42669&st=0&p=781205&hl=location&fromsearch=1entry781205 It's actually from the same side, further up to the left. So in the picture you mention the gauging lock in my view is to the right. I've mocked up roughly the locations I think these were taken from here - http://www.whatsthatpicture.com/kml/BrentfordLock.kml?p=2'>https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=http://www.whatsthatpicture.com/kml/BrentfordLock.kml?p=2 Edit: click on the yellow pins to see pictures, and if you open http://www.whatsthatpicture.com/kml/BrentfordLock.kml in Google Earth it will actually pan to what I think is about the right angle for each, albeit in aerial view

Thank you everyone. But do we still have a contradiction in that Tay wasn't built until 1906 yet the image must be before the locks were rebuilt, which was pre-1903?

Just to say that I have replaced the original image (the one showing the full lantern slide) with a version as high-res as I could - see I believe that the rectangular plate on the lock wall is numbered 259 (or possibly 859 or 359). I can't make out what it says on the oval plate I'm afraid. And apologies, I've only just spotted Derek R's comment and the matching wall in that Brentford shot - I guess that absolutely seals the location!

The 1896 1:2,500 map on http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html suggests it was still only a single lock at that date. But it also doesn't show any buildings in positions matching those in the shot, so I'm unsure. I wonder also what that wall is to the right? I love that 1903 postacrd, and have another Wakefield (that's the photographer, not the place) image of the same period but up at Ealing Common - http://www.historypin.com/map/#!/geo:51.511743,-0.293766/zoom:18/dialog:14364008/tab:streetview/

Thanks folks, looks like I did the right thing to post here given the quick and thorough response! To clarify, whilst my primary thought was to identify the location any other information about the boat, company, date etc is much appreciated. As far as the date goes, my dating was very much an estimate. It's a lantern slide which in itself makes it quite difficult to date (compared say to earlier carte de visite etc) and there are no fashion clues, which is the other thing that I can typically date images by. If people have a better idea, even if it's just a gut feeling, then do shout! Interesting comment re: Brentford. I live in Hanwell, have an allotment practically next to the Grand Union at the bottom of the Hanwell flight, and in the summer months used to cycle down the tow path to Brentford when I worked in Kew. I did wonder if that wall to the far right might be the wall of the old Hanwell Asylum but I don't feel that it is. For reference here are a few pictures of my own taken along that stretch. Should anyone be interested here are a few of my own photographs from along there - http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatsthatpicture/tags/grandunioncanal/ We posted our comments at the same time. So it is Brentford? I shall have to pop down there and have a look. Thanks

Hi, a contact on Flickr suggested that I sign up here, so hope you don't mind me posting this. I have a mystery image of a commercial boat from ca 1900 that I wonder if anyone can identify? A possible name for the boat owner is 'Ball & Griffith' and another Flickr contact has found some interesting census records. You can see the image, and a few comments, at