A British traveller who journeyed through Africa in 1970 has opened up his fascinating photo album from the trip, which took in six cities and four countries.
Allan Hailstone travelled from London to Cape Town and back with stopovers in Cairo, Nairobi, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Salisbury in Rhodesia (now Harare in Zimbabwe).
During the journey, Mr Hailstone, originally from Coventry, took scores of pictures, from street scenes in what was then Rhodesia to aerial shots of the pyramids in Egypt and from a shocking image of a chair for ‘whites only’ at the top of Table Mountain to a Leyland bus in Nairobi.
He told MailOnline Travel: ‘My arrival in Cairo was a culture shock, as it would be today, but I had experienced Morocco in 1960 and so I knew to some extent what sort of atmosphere to expect. Rhodesia was fascinating because the country had declared itself independent of British rule in 1965, and the so-called Smith regime was regarded as illegal by the UK and one was advised not to visit. There were no UK consular links, and the only country friendly to it was South Africa. The only air link was from South Africa so I had to travel there from Johannesburg, then return to Johannesburg, rather than visiting it en route.
‘South Africa existed under apartheid. I found the people intelligent and cultured. I remember that it was commonplace in Cape Town to see men playing chess in the street. The hotel where I stayed gives an example of the very cheap pricing. It was a luxury hotel, and I had a suite of rooms at £5 per night, which even then was ridiculously cheap. It had a closed-circuit TV in the lobby, which attracted much interest as ordinary TV did not exist.’
Scroll down to see a selection of images of Africa from Mr Hailstone’s epic trip…
Mr Hailstone took this image of Tahrir Square in Cairo on August 7, 1970
The Nile Hilton Hotel in Cairo, pictured on August 8, 1970. It still exists but is now a Ritz-Carlton property
This shot of the pyramids, taken by Mr Hailstone on August 7, 1970, was taken just outside Cairo
This magnificent aerial shot of the pyramids was taken by Mr Hailstone on a flight he took from Beirut to Cairo. He snapped the picture during the approach into the Egyptian city
Two men ride on a horse-drawn carriage along a street in Cairo. This was Mr Hailstone’s second visit to the African continent. He had already travelled to Morocco in 1960
Youngsters dodge through the traffic on a busy street in Cairo. Mr Hailstone said: ‘My arrival in Cairo was a culture shock, as it would be today’
Photographer Mr Hailstone took this image on a flight across Cairo. The vintage picture dates back to August 6, 1970
The scene outside Meikles Hotel overlooking Cecil Square in what was Salisbury, Rhodesia, on August 20, 1970. The city is now known as Harare and the country as Zimbabwe
The view across Cecil Square. At that time, Rhodesia was run by the so-called Smith regime. It was regarded as illegal by the UK and Mr Hailstone says people were advised not to visit
People wander in the sunshine through Cecil Square in Salisbury on August 21, 1970. Meikles Hotel, where Mr Hailstone stayed, is on the far left of the picture
A large branch of the F.W. Woolworth department store chain on First Street in Salisbury, pictured on August 21, 1970. Mr Hailstone explained: ‘Rhodesia was under sanctions from much of the world, and so it had to get all of its goods via South Africa. Nevertheless, the shops were fully stocked, and there seemed to be no shortages of anything’
A park scene in Pretoria, South Africa, on August 12, 1970. Mr Hailstone says he remembers the people in South Africa to be ‘intelligent and cultured’
The Belfast department store in Pretoria on August 11, 1970. When Mr Hailstone visited South Africa, apartheid was in operation
An aerial view across Cape Town taken on August 18, 1970. All of Mr Hailstone’s pictures from his trip are posted on his Flickr account
The view towards the waterfront and across the Cape Town skyline in an image snapped on August 17, 1970. Mr Hailstone regards Cape Town as one of the most beautiful cities he has visited
While visiting Cape Town, Mr Hailstone ascended to the top of Table Mountain and captured this stunning shot
Mr Hailstone captured this image at the top of Table Mountain. It shows a chair that was reserved for ‘whites only’
Table Mountain is visible behind the buildings in Cape Town in a shot taken on August 18, 1970
Adderley Street in Cape Town pictured on August 18, 1970. Adderley Street is considered the main street in the city’s business district
Mr Hailstone captured this image out of the window of a plane while flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg
Dusk descends across the Johannesburg skyline on the evening of August 22, 1970. The Hillbrow Tower can be seen in the background
Mr Hailstone captured this shot of the Johannesburg skyline on August 13, 1970. He travelled to Johannesburg so he could fly to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
A car piled with a heavy load travels along a street in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in August 1970. Mr Hailstone said: ‘In 1970 you could buy a return air trip to anywhere – and for no extra cost you could route it through (and stop off at) as many places as you liked provided that you kept to a maximum mileage. So I chose London to Cape Town, and calculated that I could stop off at Cairo, Nairobi, Johannesburg, go up to Salisbury and back to Johannesburg’
Several passengers climb aboard a green Leyland bus in Nairobi. Mr Hailstone believes this image was taken next to the Hilton Hotel in downtown Nairobi
People gather inside a tea kiosk to enjoy a refreshment in a snap taken by Mr Hailstone in 1970. He is unsure exactly where the image was taken but believes it was either in Nairobi or Johannesburg