The title for this piece is a quote from Joni Mitchell’s 1970 song, Big Yellow Taxi’. The song goes on, ‘They’ve paved paradise and put up a parking lot’.
Joni was probably singing about an area around Honolulu but she might almost be singing about what happened in Market Lavington in around 1960. It was then that some lovely looking Tudor houses were demolished in our Market Place and replaced with – you’ve guessed it – a parking lot.
On this blog we certainly wouldn’t criticise a decision made close on 60 years ago. Advantages stemmed from that decision, not least better employment prospects locally as the agricultural engineers were able to expand their much needed operations.
What Market Lavington had, before the changes was this.
Market Lavington Market Place – 1950s
This is a 1950s photo but by 1988 this was a similar, albeit more close up view
Similar view – 1988. The old Tudor buildings are now a derelict parking lot
By this stage the age of the local agricultural engineer had ended. The parking lot, in the foreground, where the bank and other buildings had stood had its lack of beauty enhanced by an old rusty van of some sort. Even the ‘parking lot’ with its displays of fine red tractors and combine harvesters might have seemed like paradise by this time.
Clocks can’t be turned back but situations change and this is the 21st century view.
Market Lavington Market Place – 21st century
What looked so abjectly awful in 1988 has become the front area of Rochelle Court. A new building on the corner now houses a chemists shop and the other shop window, in the white building has a flourishing shop too. That’s a florist.
Obviously the buildings aren’t those old Tudor ones, but planners have done a pretty good job of bringing an area back to life, providing low cost housing and also a couple of retail outlets. Oh yes, part of it is still a parking lot as we can see
Tags: 1950s, 1988, 21st century, market place, then and now
Market Lavington Museum 
December 23, 2015 at 8:27 pm |
The buildings were demolished by G. Pearce and sons of Potterne, who took most of the rubble away. I hauled some of the rubble about where the bank stood to manor Farm in Eastcote to make up the track that goes up to the plain. I did this with a tractor and trailer but where the stone that Pearce hauled away I don’t know.
January 2, 2016 at 10:22 am |
Lovely information. Thanks Phil.
January 7, 2016 at 7:06 pm |
I can remember being taken to perrits for a hair cut on many occasions by my father and being given a choice of short back
And sides or short sides and back it was always full of people
And there was much talk of fishing and how good the garden was
And football and Fred would always ask the grown ups after their
Haircut if they needed anything for the weekend being just a lad
I did not understand that at the time but I remember asking my dad
Why he always asked the older men that question only for him to
Quickly Change the subject on our walk back to easterton
January 7, 2016 at 8:14 pm |
Great comment Norman. We love it!