Queensway rising

That’s Martin’s, the newsagent, on the corner of High Street North and Queensway, and the old Co-op department store is on the other side of the junction.

The picture was taken from alongside the Union Cinema, now brilliantly restored into the Dunstable Conference Centre and community church.

The scaffolding of Dunstable Fire Station’s hose tower can be seen at the rear of the Co-op.

The fire station was situated for many years in “temporary” buildings alongside the track which became Queensway, but moved to Brewers Hill Road in 1965.

Its vacant site was then used as a car park until the Co-op demolished its old store and built new, larger, premises as part of the new shopping development along the south side of Queensway.

The Co-op store was later taken over by the present Peacock’s fashion shop.

The Martin’s building is now the Artisan ladies hairdressing salon and, of course, the Civic Hall was opened at the end of Queensway in 1964.

> Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society