1980s London | Hammersmith Broadway | 1980s Traffic | Busy Roads | TN-87-115-002

THAMES NEWS. 21.7.1987
Hammersmith is ripe for development, but local authorities and businesses cannot agree on a plan of action.
If you would like to license a clip from this video please e mail:
[e-mail]
Quote: TN-87-115-002

[@davidbull7210]

This is how Hammersmith was when I first visited London in 1986. A totally different world. All that history wiped out for a mindless shopping mall. Still, at least we got the Bottom intro out if it.

[@ThomasCorfield]

That's EXACTLY why I searched for this!

[@LucAbroad]

0:42 health and safety 🤣

[@andynixon2820]

Yes , not sure if he's the bravest window cleaner I've ever seen or just making a suicide attempt .

[@thesleekgreek]

30 years old lived here all my life honestly looks better then than now. The rich coming in kicking the poor out, the last of the moheakans

[@pedallinraw]

Looks way better there than now 😐painter and decorator getting it done perched on that window 😯🤣👌🏻

[@SharkVaderYT]

much different from today

[@nikaa4237]

They must have demolished tonnes of stuff. I remember trying to get into the Palais back in the day.

[@robtyman4281]

It's changed beyond all recognition. Much of the work took place in the late 80's and early 90's. Many buildings were demolished between 1987 and 1994. I'd forgotten how different Hammersmith looked before this period - like a different place altogether.
The Palais (or Le Palais) finally closed its doors for the last time in about 2005, and was demolished about three years later.
There was also a pub near the bridge, and the flyover called 'The Oxford and Cambridge' (in reference to the boat race there), but this closed many years ago and has also been demolished. Now a small block of new builds.
The pub right by the bridge (on the left as you cross over into Barnes) is still there.....as is The Bridge pub on the other side. The famous Odeon is also still there, and now known as the Apollo, where they do comedy gigs and pop/rock concerts.
I remember at one point about 15 years ago there was a vague plan to get rid of the flyover, and put the traffic in a tunnel underneath central Hammersmith, but it came to nothing. Too costly, and also it would need to have been very deep otherwise it would interfere with the Piccadilly and District lines.
Hammersmith bridge of course is closed to all vehicles, and has been for nearly two years now. At one point it was even closed to bicycles and pedestrians, but now both can use the bridge. But vehicles have to use either Putney, or Chiswick bridges.
It's been declared 'unsafe' for all motorized vehicles. Lovely as the bridge is, they may aswell dismantle it completely and build a new bridge that is able to handle the volume of traffic today.
In any other country they would have done this already or be planning to do it, but not here in the UK.
They would rather squabble with each other for years over it, then patch it up in a very 'piecemeal' way, not actually resolving the obvious issue - that Hammersmith bridge has reached the end of its life span, and is no longer fit for purpose in the 21st century. But hey ho. It was designed to carry traffic in the 1890's.......not 2020's.
Guess they'd rather just put 'sticking plasters' all over it and cross their fingers.

[@nikaa4237]

@@robtyman4281 Thanks for that. Was an interesting read.

[@thepoocrewofficial2974]

If you look carefully I was staring through a shop window on King Street at a Nintendo game that I could never afford.
She will be mine... Oh yes... She will be mine...

[@britusman]

We lived in council flats back innthe day. Now when I look at the prices I am outraged. The "poor" flats are going for over 300-400,000 quid. Now I am glad I left but of course I remember my darling London from before. I was lucky as I went on to live in Spain and then onto the USA and have lived a great life and still do.

[@antman5474]

I don't remember cars looking that old at the time but watching this years later and they look like total wrecks.

[@Andrew_Tate_Personal]

I prefer the old London. Wish they left it alone sometimes. Nowadays you need to be rich to enjoy the capital. Back then you could have a decent night out for 30 quid. Posh yuppies everywhere these days and tourists or young ‘professionals’ moving into the ‘affordable’ housing

[@nikaa4237]

Agree. Much too expensive for the average person.

[@donnienlefty]

London has been rebuilt as a playground for the rich, for tourists to visit, rich university students who then live there for 5 years after the graduate until they want to settle down and have kids, they move away and the whole cycle starts again. No longer is it a place for normal people to live.

[@stephenkissane4268]

What was that window cleaner thinking

[@angelawinwood4019]

Is that the bench from the opening credits on “Bottom”?

[@jonathansteadman7935]

Yes, exactly the time it was filmed 👍

[@jimmywormholes2053]

There Were Good FeW UniQue ShopS On The BroadWaY
IncludinG Two AmuSemenT ArcadeS...
GoTTa Adder BoTTom........

[@paulfisher8753]

My old delivery 1984-85...

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

i saw ellie goulding at the hammersmith broadway once in rush hr in 2013 waiting to cross the road :)

[@johnmusk7007]

KLUB FOOT ….R.I.P

[@chelseabyap3989]

woah

[@watchmakersp9935]

I even saw those subway stairs on an episode of The Gentle Touch...why did they close them off?

[@ZeldaFitz]

Mugging

[@acceptableandbornind80s32]

Completely different place to Live back then and much better

[@MaybeHarvey]

0:27 that’s the bottom intro bench lol