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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Nick29 on Sunday 24 January 10 11:57 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone else here use Google Street View ? Because I now live in the N. Cambs / Norfolk borders, I use it quite a lot to look at my old "stamping ground" in SE London, where I grew up.
I used it twice this week - I decided to take a look at a little shop in SE London that I worked in for a while, just after leaving school in the early 60's, to see if it was still there. It wasn't, and neither was the street - the whole place had been bulldozed, and a dual-carriageway and flyover was there in its place. I didn't recognise anything at all ::)
The second time I used it was to look at an area of New Cross in response to a query in RC. The area was very close to where one of my school friends lived, down a narrow road with Victorian terraced houses either side. When I looked at it on Street View, the house my friend lived in was still there, but the entire row on the other side of the street had been bulldozed, and now was part of a playing field.
Using Street View always brings mixed emotions - firstly sadness that the places I knew as a lad are no longer there, and then that usually gives way to happiness, because many places were old and tired, and did need replacing with something more bright and modern. Not always though - some lovely buildings have been replaced by concrete monstrosities :-\
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I use to find addresses on censuses and see where my ancestors might have lived other than that I haven't used it many times. There have been a couple of instances I've used it for Building Surveying but not many and checking where i am driving to.
Although ten to one with my ancestors it has been demolished and a shopping centre built there! ;D
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I also use Multimap http://www.multimap.com/ as although Google is undoubtedly an excellent tool, the coverage is still limited - certainly in the areas of interest to me.
Finbar.
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I often search family addresses on Googlemaps. Most of the time I'm disappointed because my ancestors were mainly far from well off, so I'm talking about areas where the housing has long gone to be replaced by roads or industrial estates.
Sometimes I strike lucky, but conversly where the address was in the country or a nicer house, they are the least likely to have the photos on line.
Always worth a look though, even if it shows me it's not worth a long train journey to make any sort of pilgrimage - not if it's a now a modern factory!
Maggie 1895
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I also use Multimap http://www.multimap.com/ as although Google is undoubtedly an excellent tool, the coverage is still limited - certainly in the areas of interest to me.
Finbar.
Yes, I'm aware that there are other maps available, but that's not really what I wanted to talk about :)
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I use it all the time for searching places my ancestors lived.
It'll be a long time before I ever make it to NZ, but I've 'walked' all around the district in Auckland where my Great uncle lived and died.
I've also used it in this country when I couldn't get there 'now' especially around the Glasgow and surrounds.
Love it. ;D
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Hi Nick
I also have used it to find where my ancestors once lived but found all the houses they had lived in have all been demolished :'(
Such a shame really that they do this and put great big shopping centres or Dual Carraigeways in their place. Not fair on us that are into Family History and like you wanting to see old stomping grounds.
I know buildings get to the stage that they have to be demolished through old age and decay but it is still sad.
Not sure about anyone else but I get motion sickness travelling up the streets on Google Street View. :-[ ;D
Johngirl
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I used it to see the house I used to live in in Huyton and discovered the flats had been demolished and the square of grass now house parking spaces in front of the house.
I had already driven along the main A57 road a couple of years ago after visiting the graveyard at Huyton church and was amazed at the changes of some areas but not of others. The graveyard has also changed out of recognision and unfortunately because of damages to the stones the grave I wanted to see was gone, although I am pretty certain as to where it is even though it is just a grass mound now.
I have got a photo of a No 40 tram in the Page Moss area which shows the flats in the back ground so for me all is not lost and as the photo was from the 1950's I can easily identify with it.
Jean
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I have enjoyed looking at streets and houses where I have lived and those where grandparents and other relatives etc., dwelt.
It was interesting to see how much smaller the garden in which I played as a child is compared to how it seemed then and how I remember it!
Took a tour around the town centre and there was my son! Where he should have been and doing what he should have been doing I might add!
Selina
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I use it for getting an idea of where to turn corners in unfamiliar places, and also for location hunting. It's very handy especially when combined with Google Earth.
Also it is free. this is a good thing.
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for location hunting
Sounds exciting. What sort of location hunting - for tv, film that sort of thing...?
Can imagine street view's practically revolutionised that job ;)
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Exactly that. Of course if you're looking for somewhere out in the sticks you still have to get out there with a camera, but for urban areas it's fantastic
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Hi Nick
I also have used it to find where my ancestors once lived but found all the houses they had lived in have all been demolished :'(
Fortunately the house where I was born is still there, and the one where I grew up, so I suppose I'm quite lucky really ! :)
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Hi Nick,
Yes that is great.Mine is also still standing but has been taken over by the aborigine community as part of there heritage. ::)
It was in the hands of the Parks and Wildlife as it was in a State Forestry area and when they had it you could visit the house but now as I`m not aborigine I can`t go there. :'(
I have a photo so I suppose that will have to do. ::)
Its not on google street view either.
Johngirl
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Yes I use it a lot, both for present day relatives and for the ancestors. My OH must have been washing the car or the grand kids were playing in the garage as the car is parked in the front garden of our present house.
The house I spent my teenage years in an outback mining town has not changed much although there is now kerbing, guttering, footpaths and parking areas instead of the rough stoney dusty goat track. The trees we planted and tried to keep alive are thriving and there is even a bit of lawn. My brother and I have since played "do you remember when". Other houses nearby have made way for shopping centres.
Happy hunting, Gazania
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I would if they filmed any of the streets that I'm interested in.I gave up on street view ages ago for this reason - I've just checked it again after reading this thread and they still haven't filmed any of my streets in the UK - so I won't hold my breath
Street view is non existent for both mine and hubbies addresses in S. Wales and Ireland (most of the addresses are not in the sticks - most of them are in well populated areas). All that I can look at is the city where I used to work.
Australia has very good coverage compared to many places in the UK. Our street and house is on it - I haven't come across any streets that are not on there in our area ( North Brisbane) except for the very new ones that they have very recently built
Kind regards
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They are adding stuff all the time - but I agree that there are still a lot of areas that haven't been covered, even in the bigger cities. They are getting around, though - I even saw a Google camera car in a very remote area of Norfolk the other day :)
Last night I did a bit more "armchair wandering" - I was looking around the Lewisham area of London, where I lived in 1973, when first married. In those days there was a very big independent department store called Cheesemans, with a big Co-Op store beside it. These have both been bulldozed, and in their place is a shiny new huge POLICE STATION, complete with huge electric gates and mounted police outside in the open yard. I think this tends to suggest what the thriving industry is in Lewisham these days ! ::)
I'll have to stop doing this - it's getting too depressing ! ;)