Two Bob Roller

 A little photograph, bought for just 10p in a Hastings second-hand shop a few years ago. It depicts a 1932 Rolls Royce 20/25hp Hooper limousine outside Rowheath Playing Fields at Bournville, Birmingham, perhaps later in the decade.

Accoding to the DVLA, it was last taxed in 2001 and subsequently exported, so presumably still around.

Blick

I don't suppose that time clocks are used much these days, and if they are, the digital world will have caught up with them by now. This 1930s example was spotted in a local antique shop (yours for £225.00). It was made by Blick Time Recorders of Aldersgate, London, the company previously manufacturing typewriters from around 1900. I wonder where it was originally used?

Motoring in the 1930s

With a sharp increase in both car ownership and traffic accidents during the 1920s, it became apparent that further regulation of road users was required. The 1930 Road Traffic act paved the way for many changes, including standardisation of road sign-age.

The illustration below comes from the pages of a 1930s road atlas supplied by the Co-operation Wholesale Society, showing some of the new signs. Included is the Belisha Beacon, introduced by Leslie Hore-Belisha, who became Minister for Transport in 1934. A further review of road signs took place in the 1960s, chaired by Sir Walter Worboys, resulting in a new generation of signs suitable for the motorway age. Although the old ones have been largely swept away, some still survive, particularly those giving local directions. These seem to be generally known as 'pre-Worboys'. The lower picture is of an old ring-top directional sign in the Lincolnshire village of Syston, taken in March 1991.