This must be the most dramatic of all 'Now & Then' shots. It features what was, in 1970, Lower Street and its modern-day counterpart St Michael's Way, the taxi rank and the bus interchange. In the 1970 shot Vernon Coopers, Stanways, Woodbines and all the other buildings stretching away towards the Town Bridge are nearing the end of their days. In the modern-day shot (taken on September 8th 2011) everything has been swept away, with the exception of the JayGee Fireplaces building near the Town Bridge in the distance. This long, low building has now been smartened up and is the home of Town Bridge Estate Agents.
Lower Street itself no longer exists, but a short remnant of it serves as the bus lay-by. The bus shelter is approximately where the outer wall of the Town Hall complex of buildings is in the 1970 shot.
In the centre of the modern shot is the taxi rank which has never, to our knowledge, been used as such. The 'bus interchange' has been much more successful, although it would, perhaps, be more useful if the Leadsmithy Street stop was taken out of use and all buses concentrated on the Bullring. Seemingly this was the original intention but Arriva have stubbornly stuck to the Leadsmithy Street stop. But if all buses ran into the Bullring, whatever their destination, things would be a lot simpler, particularly for strangers to the area..
For a more detailed description of the 1970 view see here
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