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Amazing to see this though shame about the weather! The old bus station, pre-County Mall. The beautiful Queensway Store building (Tesco). The daunting Friary (hated going to mass there). I still have dreams about some of these locations. I spent my childhood and teens in Crawley (1960-1979) and returned frequently to visit my parents until they died. This footage was taken shortly before I embarked on a major photographic project on Crawley, available here: th-cam.com/video/W1-_r7s3sG8/w-d-xo.html Thanks.

Amazing. 14 months before i was born. Nothings really changed apart from closing down a few shops 😢

Amazing and so great to see the town when there was pride left in it. Well kept flower beds and clean streets. I love Crawley and know we will be back 💪🏼

This is so cool, I'm only 17 but spent a lot of my life in Crawley so it's really nice to see what it was like back then

It looks so different today. From cars to infrastructure. Some buildings have been changed or demolished. Some are in the process of being demolished. Living in these was different from today. Thank you for sharing this video.

that film was very good i'm from crawley left 95 ,by the way next to the railway crossing there was a subway many years ago my mother took me down the steps i remember i was little then about before my teens .

What I remember most about the 1980s was how dirty and broken everything was, this video shows a lot of things looking worse 37yrs ago than they do today. I have no nostalgia for any of this, everything shown here is dirty, broken and/or badly designed. Everything is better today except perhaps The Rocket pub which was the only place for alternative music fans in the entire town which is now just a generic chain pub.

Christ, what a shit road layout on the high street, it's so much better now. The weird bit of wall between ASK and the dry cleaners that looks like a design mistake is still there 37 years later.

I totally disagree, I was born in Crawley in 1954 and lived there through my school days, attending Three Bridges infant and junior primary school and then off to Hazelwick. I had great teachers and educational opportunities. Life is not just about teenagers though, and Crawley provided opportunities for all, both young and old. I never wanted for things to do, you have to make your own fun, and your own way in life. I had great friends at school, and outside of school. Yes you often need money to be able to go swimming, the bowling alley or cinema. I did go to London and Brighton often in my teens, but never moaned when I could not. I was always grateful for the kindness of others, and that will always be my abiding memory of Crawley.

Thanks for uploading this :) Loving your videos!

Great to see Crawley back then! Thanks for the upload 👍

To ne honest, no, it wasn't paradise. I was born in Crawley in 1954 and grew up there. I eventually emigrated in 1983. Crawley was okay but had very little entertainment. Thankfully, there was always Brighton, Streatham or Croydon if you wanted to do something that was actually, fun. Crawley had pubs, the Starlight ballroom (if you were old enough) and the forest and Tilgate lake but for kids or teens, it was lacking anything to entertain oneself. There was the A23 though, so escape was still possible. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble.

No mobile phones ❤ I remember it well

gresham house and the galleria wernt there in 1987 ,i worked on both of them

It was lovely back then shit hole now

Crawley looks totally different in 1997.🤣

And 25 years and 13 days later was the Queens funeral

When did snooty fox appear

in 1987 Crawley town didn't have homeless people laying in shop doorway.😰

The High street is sadly 😰 dying yesterday Argos store in Crawley town closed after 27 years in the location it opened in January 1997.

Why does the College look so tall? haha

Lived there is the mid 70’s had the most amazing childhood and memories. Unique place.

Sadly 😭 Crawley is full of homeless people now ☹️ laying on the floor we got homeless shelters in Crawley the social housing wait for a house 🏡 is up to 3 years .

1:33 I *do wish* the cameraman of this would have gone into the foyer and showed the inside of that Cannon/ABC cinema. 😒 Can anyone growing up in Crawley at the time tell me what it was like to go a see a film there?

The old library!! I remember, when I was 5 or 6, some woman getting out of the car and calling my dad a pig because she thought he had stolen her parking space. One of those random memories that I wish I could return to and see what actually happened!! Happy times in Crawley. Miss my town.

I was 5 when this video was taken, now in my 40s. Missing my home town tonight.

This looks so much nicer than it is now, so much green around the town, now it’s all been built on. Some call it progress, i call it greed.

Are you a time traveler ?

Lovely video

The window display in the Surplus shop was the same as it was 20 or more years later when it eventually closed at that site.

My parents and grandparents years in Crawley.

I worked as a tyre fitter for Anchor tyres in 1987 , Moved to Scotland years later and very glad I did , Great memories

Crawley Town look totally different back in 1987😱 l was a 10 years old back then the biggest mistake that was made was shutting the original post office in Crawley and putting in WHSmith store .

wonderful film good lod days xxx

The Cure from crawley ???

How nice (but sad) to see the old Sun inn. I remember when they demolished it and then discovered it was much older than they thought it was.

Maidenbower; never in the original Crawley New Town development plan. Like the Broadfields and Ifield West developments it should have remained part of the Green Belt.

The Fox pub. A great old pub, used to drink there regularly 1967-1971, when I worked at Target Motor Company. In recent years I've been in it's replacement, 'The Snooty Fox', once on a visit to Crawley and I thought it was appalling - typical of all the so-called 'improvements' to Crawley.

Crawley New Town, a town ruined since it's 1950's /60's/70's heyday by a dodgy town council and shithouse developers.

I came here in 1981. Crawley was like a dream come true. A quaint little village back then. 💕

used to work in Three Bridges in 1987 and used to drink in that pub opposite

My dad worked in the control room for the trains at three bridges.

I was born and bred in Crawley and turned 3 in 1985. Lots I remember from this video. The old AMF bowling where the Travelodge is now brought back great memories. The old cinema (now Turtle Bay?) where my dad took me to see the Jungle Book (1987 I believe - must have been a 20 year anniversary). This was a bittersweet vid for me. I've moved away now but come back when I can. Crawley will always be home. :-)

Lived there then, live there now, god help me :)

You look at it now and the culture, town and many other things have changed ! I went there a few months back and didn't recognise it whatsoever ! The road layout is kinda the same but so many new buildings and streets it's unrecognisable

Have to laugh at the giant McDonald's sign near the burger king.

Crawley was amazing for jobs in 87, people would stand outside the job centre, offering jobs and handing out leaflets, saying don't bother going in there, we've got jobs on offer.

4.58 Suzuki Whizzkid

I love Crawley

Looked so much nicer back then. I was 17 at this time and have good memories of Crawley town centre from this era. It’s gradually gone way downhill from this sadly.