stevenage back in late 80s is still miles better compared how stevenage looks today

Thank you immensely for this presentation. The bus at the Gordon Craig Theatre was the playbus which I believe still exists in somebody's hands. The rolling stock, again, still in existence (and in service) believe it or not, now working out of Liverpool Street and can also be seen at Cambridge though not for long! As a final word, a bus long gone is being brought back to Stevenage very soon with a familiar name not seen for years. I can't reveal anything more but I hope it brings back the memories!

SMURF GARAGE 🙌🏻🙌🏻 1m:20s - BP garage behind old Tesco/ ABC cinema opposite the swimming pool. Fantastic footage. Would love to see full screen of just the old garage drive-by… Used to pop in there after swimming by hoppin’ over the dual-carriageway then into Tesco’s for hot doughnuts. Love the 80’s. 👌🏻👍🏻

Amazing seeing GEO Kings again! Wonderful stuff.

Love coming back to Stevenage to visit all the places and streets that were special to me thanks for doing this film

Lived here all my life (early sixties), great to see the 80's view again. Lots of goog memories. After seeing that huge camera, was expecting a modern scene with an iPhone or similar😁

Can't believe how much has changed here since 1986.

This is so great - very hard to find videos where someone has just visually catalogued parts of an area at a specific date. It's always a little bit surprising that none of us really go out and take general video like this very often. We're always doing video of some family event or public spectacle, like a parade or a demo, or some kind of mini-disaster. In the days when film or tape were not cheap things, that was obviously in-part a financial choice. However I have to wonder whether that has changed now in the digital age - and perhaps there are lots of people saying "Let's go out and make a video of how {Town_Name} looks in 2024." I guess in some respects it's a little like laying down a fine wine for the distant future even though you know you may not be the person who gets the pleasure of drinking it. Curating such material at home is easier now than it has ever been, but that's not to say that it's easy. Thank you for keeping, digitising and sharing this footage.

Wow thank you for this! I was born in 1976 and have lived in Stevenage all my life, this has made me feel quite emotional looking back at how much has changed! Thanks again 😊

Thanks so much for uploading.I used to lie in Grace Way, just at the top of Sish Lane and we moved away in 1987 so this is literally like a trip through my childhood. The leisure centre was probably a complete eyesore looking back but when getting the train back to town it told you that you were home. Happy days!

Very nostalgic. I moved to Welwyn Garden City as a kid in 1984 and mum and dad used to take us shopping in Stevenage, it’s amazing to see how much has changed. I’ve lived in Stevenage now since 2005 and is sad to see how empty and run down the town centre has become. Incidentally it looks like the camera car is a Rover P6 👍🏻

some old childhood memories. thank you for this

This is just outstanding! 0:43 ooh a lada (VAZ 2105)

Miss the orange box

Superb, excellent work putting this together. Brilliant.

About Time they doing the town centre up. It just looks/looked so run down with them offices above the shops. Can't wait till it's finished. Good video mind.

Wow, watching that brought back a lot of memories for me. Nice one!!

Great video. Love it

Excellent work, thanks for sharing

What a fantastic video.. thank you so much ..so great to see the town as it was and the old cars!! X

I grew up there 70’s and 80’s it’s sad to see it’s demise now most green parks are probably fulla houses now I know one place where the green park has poxy houses so close to each other it’s so sad

Loved that. Went to Barclay school and still love the Old Town. Seeing the 70’s and 80’s vehicles was brilliant. Well done and thank you. 😀👍

Good bit of nostalgia that thanks for posting 👍

That's amazing!

Wow some awesome memories of my lovely hometown.Thanku xx

Lots of things were made/manufactured in St evenage then.....lots of coffee made now.....

Omg I legit saw my street on there that I live in rn that's awesome

Within seconds of seeing the first gordon craig sign i knew this was gonna be good

Thanks for making this, great project! I always wondered what was on the site where the Leisure park is today, an extension to Gunnels Wood I guess with factory's and commercial units?

Great video! This was a nostalgia trip for my family and I. This may be trying to find a needle in the haystack but do you have any images/video of the Stevenage Ice Bowl?

I havnt been back there since 1999 but left in 94 having lived there since I was a kid in 71. Sad how things have changed for the worse it seems. Its like a ghost town now. What happened?

Remember all the skinheads hanging around the ted the grass pub outside on the steps lol boy this takes me back to 1986

It looked a lot more wet and bleak in 1986 but there were not as many drug addicts and chavs back then so a better place in 86

i was born in 64 in hitchin as stevenage didnt have a hospital :P

When our town was amazing.this brought back memories

Good OLD stevenage 👍