Landmarks.
The two cooling towers by the M1 at Tinsley.
Also the cooling towers by the M6 at Birmingham.
A more recent landmark, The Angel of The North.
The Marston Valley Brickworks chimneys near the M1 in Bedfordshire.
The Daventry Radio Masts seen from the M1
Speaking of the cooling towers at Tinsley. I haven’t been past there for yonks. I remember the inside lanes on both carriageways were coned off for years and years, although I never learned the reason why. Have they been reopened yet ?
Another landmark, although it’s probably long gone now was a 20 foot tall fibreglass model of King Kong in Birmingham. It was outside a car showroom south of the Bullring close by that single lane Meccano overpass, that’s probably gone by now as well. Driving over that thing was akin to riding Bob’s roller coaster at Belle Vue. We have a word in Wigan…Fricknin.
Regards. Eddie.
the tinselly cooling towers are no more , they were brought down some time ago .
The slag heap on the A1 M Heading south towards Blyth IIRC Is from Rossington Coking Plant, Regards Larry.
Three Landmarks for me,
1.Fort Dunlop
2. Shap summit M6, 1036ft
3.The green railway signal about five miles south of Watford Gap services (night time only)
Dave.
Eddie Heaton:
Speaking of the cooling towers at Tinsley. I haven’t been past there for yonks. I remember the inside lanes on both carriageways were coned off for years and years, although I never learned the reason why. Have they been reopened yet ?Another landmark, although it’s probably long gone now was a 20 foot tall fibreglass model of King Kong in Birmingham. It was outside a car showroom south of the Bullring close by that single lane Meccano overpass, that’s probably gone by now as well. Driving over that thing was akin to riding Bob’s roller coaster at Belle Vue. We have a word in Wigan…Fricknin.
Regards. Eddie.
Hi Eddie,
I’d forgotten about King Kong, here are a couple of pics, 1st one of him arriving in style on a TK, 2nd in situ, also a couple of the Camphill flyover 1st one being built in 1961, 2nd one being demolished around 1987 ish, Cheer’s Pete
Long before the “Angel of the North” was built, the main landmark in the North East of England was Penshaw Monument. Returning home on Friday or Saturday morning it was always the sight that made me think ah yes!! I’m home. It sits above the south bank of the River Wear alongside th A19 but can be seen from the A1M at the A690 Durham turn.
The “Angel” can’t be seen travelling northbound until after the A194M split so I couldn’t see that when heading home. My little grandaugher who lives near Reading, has a landmark of her own when she comes to visit. As she passes Dishforth in north Yorkshire she always calls that, " the Carrot of the North" 
Regards Kev. Ps. Sorry!! 
she’s talking about the airfield windsock.
The Elveden War Memorial, an impressive tower by the side of the A11. A memorial to those killed in WW1 from three villages, namely Elveden, Eriswell, and Icklingham.
gingerfold:
Landmarks.
The Daventry Radio Masts seen from the M1
Thinking of the radio masts, when driving by the Rendezvous (Later Rugby truck stop) years ago in an Atki the rev counter used to go haywire if they were transmitting, dread to think what would happen to an electronic tachograph.
Great photos pete. Was there ever a weight limit on that flyover ? I used it many a time, usually at night and I don’t remember seeing any signs.
It was a bit like driving over a weighbridge, it seemed to rattle quite a lot and there wasn’t much margin for error either with a forty footer.
There used to one very similar at the end of Deansgate in Manchester. It was called the Chester road car bridge, and as the title suggests, was intended for use by light traffic only, although it didn’t appear to be any less flimsy than the one in your picture.
Now Penshaw monument, I never knew what that was until now. It can be seen for miles and it was always my intention to find a place to park up and go to check it out, but like the bloke who fancied himself, I could never get round to it.
Regards. Eddie.
MrJake:
gingerfold:
Landmarks.
The Daventry Radio Masts seen from the M1Thinking of the radio masts, when driving by the Rendezvous (Later Rugby truck stop) years ago in an Atki the rev counter used to go haywire if they were transmitting, dread to think what would happen to an electronic tachograph.
They used to send my cab radio haywire as well (as did the ones at Woofferton) but only for a minute or two. Didn’t affect the tacho though. Years ago we bought a radio controlled kitchen clock, which we still have, and that is/was controlled from Daventry, we put it on the wall and waited for it to set itself…zilch! 
However the next morning it was keeping time nicely, apparently the station closed for maintenance on Tuesdays and of course that was the day we bought the clock and the reason that it wouldn’t work! 
Pete.
ChrisArbon:
I was recently talking to a Canadian lady who said that Stonehenge was the big must
-see on her forthcoming UK trip. I must have been past it a hundred times over the years and have never stopped; although I remember the first time and thinking that it looked a bit small. But if you were carting those rocks, all the way from Wales, then I suppose you would think they should have been smaller.
Do drivers based in the north ever get to go past Stonhenge?
I don’t know if they do now Chris but in the sixties before they built the M4 and the M40 there were a couple of ways to get down to Southampton with a Bedford T.K. I used to see the sign from the A345 which said Stonehenge Ancient Monument 2 miles and like most of us on here I thought that I will stop there the next time that I was passing. Another twenty years had flown by before I actually stopped to go and have a look at it and that was in my car on the way to The Royal Naval Dockyards in Portsmouth.
Another “I will park up there one day and have a look around” moment was in 1968 when I first went over Tower Bridge and looked across at The Tower Of London. I eventually got to do the tour inside two years ago some forty six years later and it was well worth the wait.
Regards Steve.
Eddie Heaton:
Great photos pete. Was there ever a weight limit on that flyover ? I used it many a time, usually at night and I don’t remember seeing any signs.It was a bit like driving over a weighbridge, it seemed to rattle quite a lot and there wasn’t much margin for error either with a forty footer.
There used to one very similar at the end of Deansgate in Manchester. It was called the Chester road car bridge, and as the title suggests, was intended for use by light traffic only, although it didn’t appear to be any less flimsy than the one in your picture.
Now Penshaw monument, I never knew what that was until now. It can be seen for miles and it was always my intention to find a place to park up and go to check it out, but like the bloke who fancied himself, I could never get round to it.
Regards. Eddie.
Eddie, Penshaw was built by the freemasons as a monument to one of their hierarchy, Lord Lambton, the first (I think) Governor General of Canada. There is a walkway around the top which is accessed by a staircase in one of the corner pillars, it is sometimes open to the public, and although the view must be spectacular I’ve never had the urge to climb all those bloody stairs. Regards Kev.
gingerfold:
The Elveden War Memorial, an impressive tower by the side of the A11. A memorial to those killed in WW1 from three villages, namely Elveden, Eriswell, and Icklingham.
Stopped there once to look at the bullet holes made by soldiers on exercise fired at the top. There was a time when you could use the stairs inside to gain the viewing platform, but it is long sealed up.
Nowadays I give the A11 a miss and watch out for the smoke of Bury St Edmunds Beet factory. I am 15 miles from home then, and the only piece of single carriageway coming home from Scotland. How the roads have changed in the last 50 years eh!
Going out in the sixties - The grave near Kennet, Newmarket Cross, Cambridge Airfield, Maddingley Cemetry, Cardington sheds, Bedford riverside, The Aston Martin works etc. etc. Oh! that huge digger at Cannock. And the Mini-skirts! Jim.
Love the London photos Steve. My first year or so was spent on timber, mainly Scotland and North Wales to Lancashire, so the first trip to London was a real adventure. I finished up in a lorry park just South of one of the bridges . ironically, since I called the thread ‘bridges and other landmarks’ I can’t remember which one , but I’ll guess most on here will know that park.
I realised I only had enough money to get a meal or catch the tube into the west end and back.(no holes in the wall then!) I decided to go hungry and had a great evening crowd watching, seeing the theatres and the cinemas, just looking around. I had a wonderful time.
John.
Hi John, could the lorry park that was south of the river be on Tooley Street or there was one next to Blackfriars Bridge which I can’t find now so it’s probably long gone.
I preferred to park on Valence Road just off Whitechapel Road but I think that I know what you mean about the atmosphere of the big city, the bright lights and the pubs not closing until 11 p.m.
I have just been looking on Google Earth after Dave Docwra’s mention of Fort Dunlop to see if it’s still there and straight away I could sense the smell of rubber on a dark night with the whole place lit up as you passed it. Can anybody tell me what all those new cars are parked up next to it, surely they are not the last of the Sherpa vans.
Regards Steve.
all those cars parked up are brand new jag’s awaiting export most of them.
kevmac47:
Long before the “Angel of the North” was built, the main landmark in the North East of England was Penshaw Monument. Returning home on Friday or Saturday morning it was always the sight that made me think ah yes!! I’m home. It sits above the south bank of the River Wear alongside th A19 but can be seen from the A1M at the A690 Durham turn.The “Angel” can’t be seen travelling northbound until after the A194M split so I couldn’t see that when heading home. My little grandaugher who lives near Reading, has a landmark of her own when she comes to visit. As she passes Dishforth in north Yorkshire she always calls that, " the Carrot of the North"
for me it was seeing the cooling towers at Chapelcross nuclear power station…either from the A74 or the 75 going north …meant I would be going through the door at hame within an hr.
Lawrence Dunbar:
kevmac47:
Long before the “Angel of the North” was built, the main landmark in the North East of England was Penshaw Monument. Returning home on Friday or Saturday morning it was always the sight that made me think ah yes!! I’m home. It sits above the south bank of the River Wear alongside th A19 but can be seen from the A1M at the A690 Durham turn.The “Angel” can’t be seen travelling northbound until after the A194M split so I couldn’t see that when heading home. My little grandaugher who lives near Reading, has a landmark of her own when she comes to visit. As she passes Dishforth in north Yorkshire she always calls that, " the Carrot of the North"
Is that yee Larry peeping out of that Scammell ? Cheers Dennis.