Wells-next-the-Sea in the 1970s

Рет қаралды 61,340

JohnTheRails

Күн бұрын

Archive 8mm film of the North Norfolk coastal resort.

Пікірлер: 72

@paulcowell7588 4 жыл бұрын

70s without any doubt the greatest decade known to humanity. If your teenage years were spent in the 70s you were immensely lucky...and mine were

@kevinparker461 3 жыл бұрын

Judging by the cars this could of been very late 60s. Trying to see what registration year was on the Mk 2 Cortina at the end but no luck!

@brianmorley7165 11 ай бұрын

Sixties takes a lot of beating though

@MrWrightey 12 жыл бұрын

After our first visit to wells we fell in love with the place. That was 10 years ago. Last week we got married on our sons 10th birthday. The most beautiful place in the country. With the most wonderful people. Simon,Steph and William..Halifax

@willh5061 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely love this. Just as I remember it as a child. Thanks.

@demosthenes1296 2 жыл бұрын

My grandmother came from Wells. So many fond childhood memories including nearly being cut off by the incoming tide having visited the East Hills on more than one occasion. It's a shame the West End Bakery is no longer there. Their cakes were out of this World.

@royedwardthompson8594 10 жыл бұрын

My mum and dad found wells next the sea in the 1960's by sticking a pin in the map .. and i have been back every year since.. we have had many good camping holidays on pinewoods camping site ... 53 years on and its still a smashing place can't wait till 2014 bring on the summer ...

@29jug11 15 жыл бұрын

One of my all time favourite places in England!

@andyainsworth1802 11 жыл бұрын

How absolutely gorgeous, brought a tear to my eye. I've been going to wells on holiday since I was born (43 years ago) and have the most wonderful childhood memories of the town. Your film took me back to being a child again. Thank you so much.

@Headwind-1 Жыл бұрын

how lovely to travel back to those days .. .

@mikaelabowen5781 6 жыл бұрын

This is glorious! Some super shots of vehicles - takes me straight back to that time. Gorgeous old Commer TS3 fire engine.

@chrisyardley6948 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for putting this on here - I was in Wells today and whilst there is a resemblance to the world we see in this film, the character and atmosphere of the whole of North Norfolk is so different from the way it was when i was a kid living in a village not far from Wells. It was so much more interesting, the shipping, the shops, the historical continuity of the feel and grain of the buildings and the sense of being in a really out of the way / isolated part fo the Country - you couldnt say that now sadly. Also the lack of gentrification and the fact that the Town 'worked' and had a working purpose - all quite self contained - are so evident in the film

@andygrieve5888 7 жыл бұрын

brought back many happy memories of a simpler time. thank you

@anneoverend2690 12 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video, It brings back sooooo many memories, I have been going to Wells for 47 years and still love it. We go every year. Thanks

@1965Ady 6 жыл бұрын

Wow what a trip down memory lane! My parents had a caravan at Kelling Heath from the mid 60's to the early 80's and we holidayed there several times a year, every year. We always went to Wells and Blakeney. I was looking at the video hoping to spot ourselves on it! I've been back twice this year and have booked to return in June next year. I can't wait, my spiritual home. Thanks for a great video. 👍

@JohnTheRails 15 жыл бұрын

My mother came from Wells so I've known it all my life, although I've always lived in Brighton. In my 60s now! People have been catching crabs with lines (it's known as 'gillying' locally) for as long as I can remember. During the carnival, gillying competitions are held for the children. The cargo boats stopped coming to Wells when the harbour became silted and the channel more shallow. Biggest regret is the closure of the railway in 1964.

@nickhall5959 4 жыл бұрын

Spent many a day fishing with a lump of bacon off the quay side at Wells for crabs

@richardharvey1732 2 жыл бұрын

Hi John, I first went to Wells about nineteen sixty seven, we camped in among the dunes and bought fish at the quayside. The harbour was semi-derelict already by that time, I suspect that the combination of the railway closure, the shift to road transport and reduction in coastal freight was the cause of the neglect and siltation not the product, had the shipping remained viable, as it now is again, the dredging would have been continued. Much more recently I have had the great pleasure of being able to stay in the flat at the top of the old warehouse over the car park and have spent many happy hours watching the 'gillying', I am sure the sales of bacon for bait are a major factor in the success of the local shops!. The whole place is now so much more vibrant and alive than it was back then. Cheers, Richard.

@pauljordan3227 Жыл бұрын

I used to stay in bishop ingle house in the 80s

@moleman1961 15 жыл бұрын

My dad taught me to swim in the channel next to the lifeboat house! Brilliant vid! Lots of memories! Thanks for posting this!

@popstars4444 9 жыл бұрын

yes brilliant.. brought back loads of memories.. thankyou

@trinitycottage3836 2 жыл бұрын

My family were the Coxes of Wells - fishermen and lifeboatmen. Came from Sheringham to Wells in late 1800s. My Mum married Dad in 1949 so she settled in Wells but her family were West Country/Wales - coal miners and carpenters! My family history runs a bit like Poldark.

@charzi 15 жыл бұрын

West End Bakery that is no more, Oh my word look at that bus - no coast hoppers there! lol Been crabbing at Wells for years, didn't do it last year, but I will when I go in a weeks time!! Can't quite believe the difference in the campsite now, and good old Weasel (or Diesel as I called him - Edmund was Thomas (I was only small then!!)). Used to sit with Betty the guard when Mike & Betty want used to run the trains. Some great memories, and they'll be many more :D

@ac2litre 9 жыл бұрын

Great memories. Thanks for sharing this.

@iangillan123 15 жыл бұрын

Brilliant. Thanks for the posting

@4martinbrown 11 жыл бұрын

Brings a tear to my eye super memories,but wait a minute were back there on the 23 Aug Love it to Bits

@recruitmain7817 4 жыл бұрын

I am moving to Norfolk soon, in a place called binham which is next to this place, I love it there. This was exiting for me

@ellielotsoflove6249 11 жыл бұрын

What a great video my nan and granddad have a cottage there that was there in those days :)

@BJsoutdoors 15 жыл бұрын

cool i lived in wells for 16 years and ive nevr seen video of it when it was this old. I think my grandad keith is one of the firemen

@garysimpson3900 5 жыл бұрын

Still a beautiful place today.

@inkjet42 15 жыл бұрын

brilliant video i've always loved wells keep saying i'll move there when i retire, my boys love it too we always have days out there in the summer, i would love to know when people started catching crabs off the harbour with the deadlines i remember buying 1 from a shop there and doing it in 1975 when the ships used to dock there

@moleman1961 14 жыл бұрын

I love that shop! Used to go in there as a kid to get the fudge!

@Mrbuggle123 5 жыл бұрын

I'm wondering if this is two films put together. The first part, looking at the cars and fashions would seem to be late 1960s possibly very early 1970s. Then a clue at 07:38 is a sign showing train fares at 30p. Decimalization came in February 1971 so it must be very shortly after that. There then seems to be a strange inconsistency....towards the end of the film at 08:50 I'm sure that's a MkV Cortina driving by and a late 70s style Elddis caravan that would date that part much later...around 1980?!

@kevinparker461 3 жыл бұрын

Thinking exactly the same by the cars, don't think the estate car as they were turning the train was a Cortina. But most of the vehicles at the start of the film point to late 60s, a good view of the number plate would be a better clue. but a fantastic record of those times.

@michaelward2082 2 жыл бұрын

The narrow guage railway opened July 1976..

@adamsfamily4060 10 ай бұрын

A time when Wells was said to have more council housing per head of population than anywhere in England. Today it is almost Impossible for locals to buy or even rent a home in Wells. The social cleansing of Norfolk's small towns and villages is shameful.

@colinhazell6259 3 жыл бұрын

Lovely!

@peterstudley1804 3 жыл бұрын

August 1972. Apart from the wells harbour railway it looks as if that portion of the film was shot mid 1980s .

@rammsteinred1889 5 жыл бұрын

We lived in Wells for about three months, when I was a kid. Can't remember the name of the street, but it was near the cinema

@willh5061 3 жыл бұрын

The old cinema used to be on Clubbs Lane

@dennytango 7 жыл бұрын

love it i have some old 8mm film of kings lynn in the 70s

@train672 8 жыл бұрын

Amazing to see how people lived in the olden days. Thanks for the interesting video :-)

@austerace 13 жыл бұрын

This is a fantastic piece of historic film, brilliant! Thank you for posting. I would guess at it being very, very early 70's, but looking at the cars and the reg numbers I can see, I would say it's more likely to be late 60's.....

@digitallifeline162 2 жыл бұрын

Right at the end there is a mark 5 Cortina. These did not come out until 1979.

@richardcoles6841 Жыл бұрын

Its a mk2 I think. I agree with Alan. Late 60s.

@yeriaf 8 жыл бұрын

Great music.

@dazlee2639 2 жыл бұрын

such a shame they are stopping the railway to the beach.

@DianHalliddy21 7 жыл бұрын

I have just had my Mams family tree on her mams side and found all her family is from wells next the sea and Bingham and possible surrounding villages x surname "Kendal" x

@VanlifewithAlan 10 жыл бұрын

Fascinating private film - I wish I had had a camera then - although of course at my age I would probably have broken it in a very short time!

@DonnieDarko_831 Жыл бұрын

Sadly, the Harbour Railway is no longer there.

@charzi 15 жыл бұрын

I'm staying up on the primary school at the caravan and camping club rally. I used to go to pinewoods, but it is extortionate for tents and terrible pitches!

@adamsfamily4060 10 ай бұрын

A time when it was said Wells had more council housing per head of population than anywhere else in England. Today it is almost impossible for locals to buy even rent a home in Wells. The social cleansing of Norfolk's small towns and villages is shameful.

@paulwilton735 2 жыл бұрын

Grew up in East runton.

@bassfingers 3 жыл бұрын

I never visit Norfolk without a slow stroll down Staithe St.

@Aanakssao 4 жыл бұрын

Dam I miss going to wells school

@ChrisRichmond 6 жыл бұрын

What a wonderful bit of archive film. Wonder if my old Granddad was driving the bus at 01:40. He used to drive the route sometimes during his two stints at Eastern Counties. Regarding the fire station scenes- is it just a coincidence that the backing music plays a "nee nor" theme during this part?! :-D Do you know where abouts the old air raid siren was located? What is interesting is that it does not appear to be mounted on the steel tower. If it is, it certainly isn't visible during the film.

@JohnTheRails 6 жыл бұрын

As far as I remember, the air raid siren was at the top of a wooden tower in Newgate Lane at the back of Staithe Street. The music is Beethoven's 6th Symphony and the "nee nor" playing at that moment is pure coincidence.

@user-ym1qj4rb4p 11 ай бұрын

Yes I used to love wells , but not anymore

@0boy00 15 жыл бұрын

for me too. many a crab liberated from the key :-). we should go back one day.

@nickhall5959 4 жыл бұрын

Boy has it changed now, you would be shocked

@chrisp2653 3 жыл бұрын

This video I assume was made between 1970 - 1973 as from 1973 it was compulsory to wear crash helmets. Around the 2min45sec mark there was a motorcyclist not wearing a crash helmet