Glorious shots of yesteryear

Blackpool air disaster, September 7, 1935 off Swainson Street. Pic by photographer Christopher Annand

In the latest of our series featuring his work, from the early 20th century, we can see both light-hearted fun pictures, along with photos showing more serious occasions.

Among the photographs included in this week’s Memory Lane, is a striking image of one of Blackpool’s most famous air disasters.

It shows the wreckage of a plane, which had plummeted from a mid-air collision over Swainson Street, in Blackpool.

Waterloo Road and Central Drive, laying the tram lines at the turn of the century

The accident happened on September 7, 1935 and caused the loss of three lives.

Earlier that day, Alan Cobham’s Air Circus had been entertaining crowds of residents and holiday-makers in the town centre in the skies.

A fifth aircraft, a small Avro Bi-Plane had appeared – and the pilots of the air circus had been unprepared for this unexpected guest. Despite being signalled to fly lower, the Avro continued to fly upwards, colliding with one of the circus planes and was cut in two by its propeller.

The Avro’s tail fell to Cedar Square, while the rest caught the roof of a property in Swainson Street, before crashing into the street and erupting into flames.

The moment after the collision was captured in this picture by Mr Annand and his son Gordon, who was a young child at the time, is among the on-lookers in the crowd of people who can be seen in the background.

Another of the photographs in the extensive Annand collection shows workmen laying tram lines, at Waterloo Road and Central Drive, at the turn of the century.

And in another of the pictures, Blackpool Holiday Camp, at Little Bispham, can be seen – with a neat line of white tents.

Around the time Mr Annand was taking his snaps, technology in photography had come on leaps and bounds.

The signs on this picture of a family reads: “Your photograph in one minute” – surely an impressive feat at the time!

And only costing just one penny.

Also pictured are members of Mr Annand’s family.

The snaps were kindly lent to The Gazette, to be published and shared with Memory Lane readers, by his son Gordon Annand, of South Shore.

Gordon Annand's mum, Winifred May (left) with his aunty Rose Norton, at South Shore baths

Another charming photograph shows Gordon’s mother, Winifred May (on the left) and his aunty Rose Norton (right) enjoying a splashing good time at South Shore Open Air Baths.

Next week Memory Lane will take a look at a wonderful section of the Annand picture collection, which features the Blackpool Carnival of 1923.