Tuesday 30 July 2013

Old picture of "Broad Street"

Broad Street in 1949 was in relative terms as busy a center of business as it is today.
On the right is the old Palace Hotel which stands on the site where Abacus House, formerly Williams House later stood at 132 Broad Street.The contrast between the calm of the street in 1949 and the intensity of today's traffic is most telling.

The Old Elder Dempster Lines Head Office at Old Marina

The Old Elder Dempster Lines Head Office; Old Marina, purchased from Woerman Line for 56,000.00pounds and completed in 1914. For a long time it was one of the finest structures on the West Coast and the First in Nigeria with interior Marble walls. It was later pulled down to make room for the present offices at 47 Marina.

Then Love Garden Onikan now the present site of The Muson Centre

The Love Garden, Onikan was situated on the present site of the MUSON Center. It was for a long time Lagos's central park with its serenity and waterfront location,offering a welcome haven from the hustle and bustle of city life. In the background on the right is the diving platform of the King George V Swimming Pool.

Massey Street Dispensary became The Lagos Maternity Hospital

Massey Street Dispensary, opened in 1914 as the first General Out Patient Clinic in Lagos, became the Lagos Maternity Hospital in 1926. It was converted  to the Massey Street Children's Hospital later on April 6th 1962 after it was declared open by the then Governor General's wife Mrs Flora Azikiwe.

The Old Airstrip at Kirikiri Apapa

The Old Airstrip, Kirikiri at Apapa preceded Ikeja as main air strip in the country. The barefooted attendants, the colonial arrival with the pith bowler and the British Overseas Airways Corporation (B.O.A.C) carrier all bear ample testimony to a bygone age where international air travel was still a novelty.

Old Secretariat Building later The Federal Ministry Of Justice

The Old Secretariat Building, (Later the Federal Ministry of Justice) was built in 1906 as the location for colonial administration.(Before the coming of Lord Lugards Amalgamation)
This "E" shaped building which was designed after the first letter of the name of the then Governor of the Southern Protectorate Sir W Egerton, Leter housed the Legislative Council Chambers.

Old Agege Motor Road

Agege Motor Road used to be known as the Abeokuta Road. It was for a long time the only northbound road from the Iddo Terminal passing through Ebute Metta, Oshodi, Agege, Abeokuta and from there on to Ibadan and beyond.
It was not so crowded then and offered a more ecofriendly view.

Apapa Port

The Apapa Port has always ben a hub of commercial activity, the nation's main sea port as it remains today.
Before the Tin Can Island Port was built with its modern Roll-On Roll-Off facilities, motor vehicles were off loaded with old fashioned winches and pulleys under the close personal supervision of the ship's captain.

Then Barclays Bank_Now Union Bank PLC

Barclays Bank (DCO), the predecessor of what is now Union Bank PLC. has one of its main branches at 55 Marina. Foreign exchange transactions were in those days (1950) more genteel and civil. The premises was later refurbished and used as the Marina branch of the now defunct African International Bank Limited (AIB)

The Idumota Towers and Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

The Idumota Towers and Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers both glorifying  an era of service and respect.
In the foreground the memorial to the unknown Soldier has since been relocated to Abuja.
The Idumota Tower was donated by the Syrian/Lebanese community in honour of H.M King George V in May 1935.

Old Methodist Church with the Famous Zarpas Buses

The Old Methodist Church at Tinubu Square,which was built in 1861. It was pulled down in 1962.
101 years later. Notice the famous "Zarpas" buses in the foreground, named after J.N Zarpass, the Greek transport magnate, whose name became synonymous with the earliest forms of mass transit in Lagos.

Old Supreme Court Building now Tinubu Square's Independence Water Fountain Area

Built in 1889,the original Supreme Court Building was pulled down in 1960 to make way for the Tinubu Square Independence Water Fountain.
This monumental conversion required a special Act of Parliament which was tabled by the then Honourable Minister for Lagos Affairs,the Late Alhaji Musa Yar'adua.