I lived there in 1974 was great growing up in the 70s when the elderly say the famous words the good old days now im 57 i understand what they ment i wish i could go back to those lovely days.
Wow, seeing the Odeon there at Gants Hill roundabout brought back memories, with the Valentine pub also being knocked down just to the right of the photo taken.
It's a bit of a shock to look back at the old photos and compare them to today's development isn't it. The pub and cinema were hubs of the community, and while housing is today's highest priority there aren't the same places to form that broad community cohesion like there was at Gants Hill.
I grew up near Ilford in the 1970s and still remember it before the town planners arrived. Yes, the shoppers spilled out into the traffic laden streets, and yes there was nowhere for anyone to park -- but it had character and was somewhere people wanted to go. Nowadays, whenever I go there, I feel like I've visited a lost cause -- it's declined so much; people just seem depressed.
Loved Ilford 80/90s! Nan worked in Bodgers. Had Wimpys on a Saturday if I didn't play up😅 Remember the opening of The Exchange, very exciting at the time.
Was so good to get a treat at a fast food place on a Saturday afternoon, wasn't it... Ilford was heaving in those days and you're right that the opening of The Exchange was something magical at the time. Incredible how small it is compared to today's behemoths like Westfield.
@IlfordRetro Yes indeed! After being marched around every shop in Ilford, the last one being Bejams, I'd then know it was Wimpy time and home! Nights out were decent too. The Island, 5th Avenue and Stop outs. I was too young for Room at the top!
@@ryandoherty6174a perfect Saturday from morning till night (although perhaps not all at the same age!) As kids we always used to ask for Ice Magic on the Bejam trips, used to love that stuff on ice cream....
Basically summed up my child hood. Would have loved to seen old king George hospital as dad used to work there. This is home and many more years to come
We wish we had a pic of the old hospital to do a comparison but we have we've not come across it yet. If we do, then it will certainly be an episode. Great to hear your memories of growing up in Ilford.
My 1st visit to Ilford was around late 1981 or early 1982 when my grandparents moved to Sunnyside Road from Manor Park. My parents and I moved in late 1983 to Goodmayes from Manor Park too as it was a great move too. 7:07 was saddest day in history of Ilford when in January 1983 when Woolworths disappeared until 18 years later. My now late grandmother brought me my toys from there when I was a child. Other than that I'll cherish the memories of Ilford as were the happiest days of my childhood until September 1985. I got emotional when had to leave school to go South London (was a culture shock too) although always came back to visit family and friends on some weekends and school holidays.
Funny how toys from childhood and where they came from always stick in the mind. It was also strange that Woolworths closed when it did in 1983, even though it was still a very popular store. Some great memories you have of the town.
@@IlfordRetro exactly. Should never have shut down. Every High Street Woolworths was a gem. It should have moved to new premises after. Was surprised when The Exchange opened and didn't have one until departure of C&A. I remember when visiting had to either go Romford or East Ham for Woolworths. Even the locals said was a mistake closed down
From what it was to what it is. Sad state of affairs. And now we're about to lose Marks & Spencers at the end of June and Sainsbury's is about to go too. Ripping this place apart, bit by bit. The place is now full of casinos or betting shops. Well done Redbridge council.
It's a difficult one to level at just the council, although they naturally have a part to play in managing who the town is for. When the industries of years gone by closed or moved to other parts of the country (eg Ilford Photo, Plessey, Howards Chemical works) there was no concerted effort by the authorities to attract new ones - and the skilled workforces - to fill the voids. It is a shame as you point out, but the council has little say in the commercial decisions of private retailers who wish to pull out of the town. (Foruntately?) the Sainsbury's site is being demolished and rebuilt by Sainsbury's itself (including the decision to make a smaller store in the new estate complex) so there will still be a supermarket in the same location.
Hello. I was born at 98, Kingswood Road, Goodmayes, Iford Essex in the early 1960's. They were some of the happiest times of my life. Thank you for this little trip back in time. Jane in New Zealand 🇬🇧🇳🇿
It's great that you were part of the town's story when you worked at Bodgers and shopped locally. With the advent of places like Westfield and before that, Lakeside and Bluewater, town centres are not the draw they once were. Popular stores like C&A and Bodgers, Wests and Harrison Gibson really are a thing of the past.
I grew up in nearby Gantshill and Ilford was a mile walk through the fabulous Valentine's Park. Slowly but surely the demographic changed. The first signs of discord happened in the late 90s when Muslims started to bait the Jews and Christians in Ilford town centre, even going so far as threatening the Jewish community with bomb threats at Beehive Lane Synagogue in Gantshill.
Used to go to Room at the Top club above Harrison Gibsons. Oscars night club was attached to The Green Gate public house near Newbury Park Station & the old King Georges Hospital.
@@IlfordRetro Late 70s ... Oscars was good but nothing felt more sophisticated than falling out of Room at the Top and grabbing a late night burger from Hungercure. Happy days and lively nights! Thanks for bringing back some solid memories.
@@jimm.3845 A classic night out! Ilford used to have a variety of decent places to go at night didn't it. I think Hungercure changed its name to Rumbletum in the late 80s, another great name for a burger joint! A pleasure - thanks for finding the channel and sharing your memories...
We used to go to both of those and also to Kings night club in 7 Kings (now demolished) and last but not least we were members of the Shannon club also in 7 Kings
@@Mark-h2l3t To say that you went there really is something to cherish now that they are gone. I really wish I had photos of both those venues, but sadly I don't :(
Got my first home in Barking in 1978 , just off Ilford lane. There were Indian shops down there even then . Haven’t been back there in 35 years. Probably wouldn’t recognise it now. I lived in Victoria Avenue , I know that the street has a mosque and a big Muslim centre down the road now .
I know Victoria Road well as a route to Barking from Ilford Lane and it always strikes me how much tidier the appearance of the street looks compared to many Ilford's streets. It's just over the borough border and it is noticeable. Living there you probably had the best of both worlds in terms of access to Barking for the tube and Ilford for the, dare I say, better shops!
We lived off Ilford Lane in the early ‘70s. My parents were from the Caribbean, and Mum appreciated the Indian shops because they were the only places to get some of the foods and spices she liked.
@@afrancis1582 I can imagine it was very handy for specific ingredients which back then, which were a long way off finding themselves in the mainstream supermarkets.
You're right about that, lots were affected and moved on during a period that seemed to drag on and on. Thanks for supporting the channel and commenting, we often wish we'd taken many more photos around east London than we did.
@@IlfordRetro my aunty lived in goodmayes and another still lives in gants hill up the road so I'm familiar with Ilford mostly. Love the format. Great job. Do you have plans for similar stuff?
@@MJ-bb8op great to hear you have some local connections, and thanks for stopping by this channel. Yes, in fact we've been thinking about featuring some other areas perhaps some time after this series, because there are so many places which have an interesting history, some of which we've captured before changes. Ideas still in their infancy but shots from beyond Redbridge may well feature in the future.....
@@IlfordRetro Oh yes plus originally I was born in Leytonstone and and raised in Leyton, I remember before the M11 link road and all the protest about it although I was only 10 or so at the time, That is brilliant, where are you thinking of exploring next? I'll be keep an eye out, love seeing shops and stores I remember from my childhood.
@@MJ-bb8op I remember the furore around the M11 link road too, it was big news at the time... To avoid copyright claims we use our own photos for each episode and hence we are a bit limited to what we have taken over time. Our 70s and 80s photos are heavily llford-based but like some of the Romford and Stratford area ones we've featured in Series 2, we are seeing whether some of our pics of other parts of London are worthy of inclusion in the future. Thanks for watching this space as they say!
Many happy memories of The Gants Hill Odeon. The flats that have replaced it are hideous. We often caught the 25 route master bus all the way to Victoria from Ilford Broadway, cost 5p !! 😂
Imagine that now, 5p to get into central London! Thanks for sharing your memories Sue, the Odeon was a great place to see a film and Gants Hill was a good place in general to socialise.
I think it was Ken Livingstone that introduced the 5p and 10p fares. It was incredibly cheap even then. But it meant we could travel ‘up west’ most weekends.
I worked for a, then very large multinational company, with the very same name ILFORD (Film) way back in 1977. Its headquarters were based in the outer of suburbs of Melbourne ( Australia). I’ve often wondered about the connection between the township called ILFORD and the company. I think it just used the townships name ( way back around 1900). Can you throw further light on this? Ps: This is the first time by the way, that I’ve seen the township of ilford!
Thanks for your comment and welcome to Ilford! It seems you worked for the one and only Ilford (Film/Photo) Limited. You're right that the photographics company was named after this town, which a Mr Alfred Hugh Harman based his business in. He set up working on photographic plates in his basement on a main road in the town called Cranbrook Road. As the business grew he moved it to a large site near a local river called the Roding. This was back in 1880 and it operated and became internationally known from that site for nearly 100 years. Mr Harman died in 1913 but his legacy and the town's name continues today. Unfortunately for Ilford, the company moved its base away from the town in 1976. It is still based in the UK, but 'up north' in Cheshire and has been the subject of takeovers several times. Fortunately the name is so well established in the photographics industry that despite the takeovers, it lives on today as Ilford Photo.
Ilford was a nice town not well known and we liked it that way. They gentrified it by building sky scrappers which is not in keeping with the town. Brought a lot of people to the town and became over crowded, plus they closed our swimming pool to cater for a new school
There are a few more skyscrapers bring planned, some of which will be at the Sainsbury's site. What we hope is that the infrastructure to cater for the added population comes along with it and doesn't impact the services currently being offered. Leisure facilities as you point out, should be replaced wherever possible.
That would have been in line with the trend when doing a retrospective, especially considering many of the book titles in the field. The channel dwells more upon the reminiscing aspect of each scene (the 'then'), hence leading me to move from new to old. Those images sit marginally longer than their new equivalents too. But I understand what you mean, as others tends to do what you've described.
Whether they have been built with better facilities for social cohesion than those from the post-war era I don't know, but the effect (good or bad) of high rise across London will be felt in the generations to come. Just as important is the feeling that new block dwellers are as much a part of the community as historical terraced house inhabitants. Are the community hubs - in the face of persistent retail closures - being provided? We hope they are, locally and nationally.
I see Cleveland school hasn’t changed much since I was in infants at the start of the ‘70s. It wasn’t great, and fortunately my parents moved me to the local Catholic schools.
Sorry to hear that your experience at Cleveland wasn't the best. The building hasn't changed much, apart from an annexe they've built on one side of it facing Dudley Road. Not that you want to relive your time there, but Episode #033 is all about Cleveland.
Believe it or not, before Communism completed the task, Ilford was correctly known to be Ilford, Essex. Made Mayors have been so successful in their assigned mission, that they've managed to misname most of beautiful Essex as 'London'. They then made sure that beautiful London was no more. Beautiful Essex will soon be completely disappeared too. In the meantime, until everyone is again ordered to play their part in planned mass panic and turn their homes into Supermax prison cells that need no lock, everyone is perfectly free to pay their extortion money to travel in their car subscription and go on a delightfully traditional outing to the Essex forest, whereupon they can pay Communist Trusts their extortion money to park. Progress. While we're all in such a nostalgic mood, some may remember our forefathers saying to each other, "It's a free country." Believe it or not, they believed it.
Brilliant. Miss the old days of ilford which were magical especially at Xmas. 🎉
They certainly were..............
Xmas in 1980s was my favourite time. Especially when my now late grandmother would take me to Woolworths for toys
I lived there in 1974 was great growing up in the 70s when the elderly say the famous words the good old days now im 57 i understand what they ment i wish i could go back to those lovely days.
It was a great time indeed, and as each year passes, looking back becomes evermore nostalgic
So glad you are back! Ilford will always be my spiritual home. Thanks for posting
Thank you MrSavvynet, may that spirit live long!
brought back some good memories.
it's great to have you along June
Wow, seeing the Odeon there at Gants Hill roundabout brought back memories, with the Valentine pub also being knocked down just to the right of the photo taken.
It's a bit of a shock to look back at the old photos and compare them to today's development isn't it. The pub and cinema were hubs of the community, and while housing is today's highest priority there aren't the same places to form that broad community cohesion like there was at Gants Hill.
I remember queuing for Star Wars and Superman at the Odeon. I think the long queues and big screen made it feel like a major event.
1970 - 4 Billion less people on the planet...
Makes a difference to cities
Definitely, as more of the global population lives in cities than in rural areas these days.
I grew up near Ilford in the 1970s and still remember it before the town planners arrived. Yes, the shoppers spilled out into the traffic laden streets, and yes there was nowhere for anyone to park -- but it had character and was somewhere people wanted to go.
Nowadays, whenever I go there, I feel like I've visited a lost cause -- it's declined so much; people just seem depressed.
Hopefully, as things move in cycles, things will look up in the near future!
it reminded me back then of a mini oxford street
It looks like a foreign country
Just amazing matching work - and such memories !
Thank you J Ross
Loved Ilford 80/90s!
Nan worked in Bodgers. Had Wimpys on a Saturday if I didn't play up😅
Remember the opening of The Exchange, very exciting at the time.
Was so good to get a treat at a fast food place on a Saturday afternoon, wasn't it... Ilford was heaving in those days and you're right that the opening of The Exchange was something magical at the time. Incredible how small it is compared to today's behemoths like Westfield.
@IlfordRetro Yes indeed! After being marched around every shop in Ilford, the last one being Bejams, I'd then know it was Wimpy time and home! Nights out were decent too. The Island, 5th Avenue and Stop outs. I was too young for Room at the top!
@@ryandoherty6174a perfect Saturday from morning till night (although perhaps not all at the same age!) As kids we always used to ask for Ice Magic on the Bejam trips, used to love that stuff on ice cream....
Ilford was a nice place. The area has changed for the worst in the last 20 years
agreed
Great to have you back, Ilford Retro. Look forward to your posts.
Thank you for always joining us Alfa
Basically summed up my child hood. Would have loved to seen old king George hospital as dad used to work there. This is home and many more years to come
We wish we had a pic of the old hospital to do a comparison but we have we've not come across it yet. If we do, then it will certainly be an episode. Great to hear your memories of growing up in Ilford.
My mum worked there in the early ‘70s.
Great video really enjoyed watching this! lovely to see how different Ilford looked back then :)
Thank you Safia E 🙂
this rely took my back to my childhood the seven kings swimming poool
glad to hear that it brought back some good memories!
The Sans Eagle Swimming Club, opposite The Cauliflower Pub. 🤓 I learned to swim there.
yes good ol' swimming pool every Saturday to get on them inflatables yes got my grades in swimming there.
@@Shacksali I too learned to swim at The Sans Eagle Swimming Club based at this pool. Happy Days 😃
@@suefaulkner177 happy days indeed 👍🏽
My 1st visit to Ilford was around late 1981 or early 1982 when my grandparents moved to Sunnyside Road from Manor Park. My parents and I moved in late 1983 to Goodmayes from Manor Park too as it was a great move too. 7:07 was saddest day in history of Ilford when in January 1983 when Woolworths disappeared until 18 years later. My now late grandmother brought me my toys from there when I was a child. Other than that I'll cherish the memories of Ilford as were the happiest days of my childhood until September 1985. I got emotional when had to leave school to go South London (was a culture shock too) although always came back to visit family and friends on some weekends and school holidays.
Funny how toys from childhood and where they came from always stick in the mind. It was also strange that Woolworths closed when it did in 1983, even though it was still a very popular store. Some great memories you have of the town.
@@IlfordRetro exactly. Should never have shut down. Every High Street Woolworths was a gem. It should have moved to new premises after. Was surprised when The Exchange opened and didn't have one until departure of C&A. I remember when visiting had to either go Romford or East Ham for Woolworths. Even the locals said was a mistake closed down
@@rajnirvan3336 couldn't agree with you more. Was a bit of a trek to either East Ham or Romford, strange it took so long for it to return.
Nice to see The Golden Curry on left next to Ladbrookes (4.03) with my banner 'Rocker Sal' and what it looked like way back....wonderful video!
Thanks for your comment @rockerSAL We recall you doing appearances at Golden Curry - do they still happen? Great to know you're still about
Indeed i do! I'm on Facebook 'Sal Bashir' and of course my own You Tube channel 'Rocker Sal' Im back at Golden Curry on 23 April!@@IlfordRetro
Good memories, how ilford has changed a lot and new things I wished born early 😂
Well hopefully we can make the past a reality for you in the present Yasin 🙂
From what it was to what it is. Sad state of affairs. And now we're about to lose Marks & Spencers at the end of June and Sainsbury's is about to go too. Ripping this place apart, bit by bit. The place is now full of casinos or betting shops. Well done Redbridge council.
It's a difficult one to level at just the council, although they naturally have a part to play in managing who the town is for. When the industries of years gone by closed or moved to other parts of the country (eg Ilford Photo, Plessey, Howards Chemical works) there was no concerted effort by the authorities to attract new ones - and the skilled workforces - to fill the voids. It is a shame as you point out, but the council has little say in the commercial decisions of private retailers who wish to pull out of the town. (Foruntately?) the Sainsbury's site is being demolished and rebuilt by Sainsbury's itself (including the decision to make a smaller store in the new estate complex) so there will still be a supermarket in the same location.
Hello. I was born at 98, Kingswood Road, Goodmayes, Iford Essex in the early 1960's. They were some of the happiest times of my life. Thank you for this little trip back in time. Jane in New Zealand 🇬🇧🇳🇿
Welcome Jane, thank you for stopping by the channel and we're pleased you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
I used to have a Saturday job at Bodgers and got a lot of my clothes at C&A. Ilford Town Centre is awful now.
It's great that you were part of the town's story when you worked at Bodgers and shopped locally. With the advent of places like Westfield and before that, Lakeside and Bluewater, town centres are not the draw they once were. Popular stores like C&A and Bodgers, Wests and Harrison Gibson really are a thing of the past.
remember going to Ilford palais and also a bit further down the road to Seven Kings hotel
Two great venues and I wish I had a photo of the Seven Kings Hotel!
So many memories
Lived in Green Street for a while a few years back and it didn’t feel like part of London. Moved back to Scotland. So sad.
Green Street was 3 miles down the road in Forest Gate
I grew up in nearby Gantshill and Ilford was a mile walk through the fabulous Valentine's Park. Slowly but surely the demographic changed. The first signs of discord happened in the late 90s when Muslims started to bait the Jews and Christians in Ilford town centre, even going so far as threatening the Jewish community with bomb threats at Beehive Lane Synagogue in Gantshill.
It is sad for humanity when anyone threatens anyone else, no matter what race, religion or belief they are or have.
I went to Seven Kings high school in 1999
A school with a reputation for good grades
@@IlfordRetro Yes it had good standards. I passed with 11 gcse's A*-C
@@soy_red Very well done!
Such a shame at what Ilford has become now
Used to go to Room at the Top club above Harrison Gibsons. Oscars night club was attached to The Green Gate public house near Newbury Park Station & the old King Georges Hospital.
They were both excellent party venues. Oscars was legendary and Room at The Top had a bit of class about it.
@@IlfordRetro Late 70s ... Oscars was good but nothing felt more sophisticated than falling out of Room at the Top and grabbing a late night burger from Hungercure. Happy days and lively nights! Thanks for bringing back some solid memories.
@@jimm.3845 A classic night out! Ilford used to have a variety of decent places to go at night didn't it. I think Hungercure changed its name to Rumbletum in the late 80s, another great name for a burger joint! A pleasure - thanks for finding the channel and sharing your memories...
We used to go to both of those and also to Kings night club in 7 Kings (now demolished) and last but not least we were members of the Shannon club also in 7 Kings
@@Mark-h2l3t To say that you went there really is something to cherish now that they are gone. I really wish I had photos of both those venues, but sadly I don't :(
Got my first home in Barking in 1978 , just off Ilford lane. There were Indian shops down there even then . Haven’t been back there in 35 years. Probably wouldn’t recognise it now.
I lived in Victoria Avenue , I know that the street has a mosque and a big Muslim centre down
the road now .
I know Victoria Road well as a route to Barking from Ilford Lane and it always strikes me how much tidier the appearance of the street looks compared to many Ilford's streets. It's just over the borough border and it is noticeable. Living there you probably had the best of both worlds in terms of access to Barking for the tube and Ilford for the, dare I say, better shops!
We lived off Ilford Lane in the early ‘70s. My parents were from the Caribbean, and Mum appreciated the Indian shops because they were the only places to get some of the foods and spices she liked.
@@afrancis1582 I can imagine it was very handy for specific ingredients which back then, which were a long way off finding themselves in the mainstream supermarkets.
Crazy the amount of rows of houses that had been knocked down. Great series, really wished there was something like this for Leyton
You're right about that, lots were affected and moved on during a period that seemed to drag on and on. Thanks for supporting the channel and commenting, we often wish we'd taken many more photos around east London than we did.
@@IlfordRetro my aunty lived in goodmayes and another still lives in gants hill up the road so I'm familiar with Ilford mostly. Love the format. Great job. Do you have plans for similar stuff?
@@MJ-bb8op great to hear you have some local connections, and thanks for stopping by this channel. Yes, in fact we've been thinking about featuring some other areas perhaps some time after this series, because there are so many places which have an interesting history, some of which we've captured before changes. Ideas still in their infancy but shots from beyond Redbridge may well feature in the future.....
@@IlfordRetro Oh yes plus originally I was born in Leytonstone and and raised in Leyton, I remember before the M11 link road and all the protest about it although I was only 10 or so at the time, That is brilliant, where are you thinking of exploring next? I'll be keep an eye out, love seeing shops and stores I remember from my childhood.
@@MJ-bb8op I remember the furore around the M11 link road too, it was big news at the time... To avoid copyright claims we use our own photos for each episode and hence we are a bit limited to what we have taken over time. Our 70s and 80s photos are heavily llford-based but like some of the Romford and Stratford area ones we've featured in Series 2, we are seeing whether some of our pics of other parts of London are worthy of inclusion in the future. Thanks for watching this space as they say!
Amazing video. Thankssssss :)
You're very welcome, thanks for watching!
Many happy memories of The Gants Hill Odeon. The flats that have replaced it are hideous. We often caught the 25 route master bus all the way to Victoria from Ilford Broadway, cost 5p !! 😂
Imagine that now, 5p to get into central London! Thanks for sharing your memories Sue, the Odeon was a great place to see a film and Gants Hill was a good place in general to socialise.
I think it was Ken Livingstone that introduced the 5p and 10p fares. It was incredibly cheap even then. But it meant we could travel ‘up west’ most weekends.
Thanks for the post
You're welcome Ian
Welcome back Rod Forliter!!
Thank you, it's great to be back!
In many cases difficult to spot the retro and present images....though if anything Ilford looks physically better nowadays.
Nice to hear your views on the comparison between then and now. Certainly the variety of architectural styles has increased over time.
I Remember when you could park in some of these roads for free and not get a ticket.
You're right, there was a lot more parking in the streets near town back in the day
I worked for a, then very large multinational company, with the very same name ILFORD (Film) way back in 1977. Its headquarters were based in the outer of suburbs of Melbourne ( Australia). I’ve often wondered about the connection between the township called ILFORD and the company. I think it just used the townships name ( way back around 1900). Can you throw further light on this? Ps: This is the first time by the way, that I’ve seen the township of ilford!
Thanks for your comment and welcome to Ilford! It seems you worked for the one and only Ilford (Film/Photo) Limited. You're right that the photographics company was named after this town, which a Mr Alfred Hugh Harman based his business in. He set up working on photographic plates in his basement on a main road in the town called Cranbrook Road. As the business grew he moved it to a large site near a local river called the Roding. This was back in 1880 and it operated and became internationally known from that site for nearly 100 years. Mr Harman died in 1913 but his legacy and the town's name continues today. Unfortunately for Ilford, the company moved its base away from the town in 1976. It is still based in the UK, but 'up north' in Cheshire and has been the subject of takeovers several times. Fortunately the name is so well established in the photographics industry that despite the takeovers, it lives on today as Ilford Photo.
Well I have always like the old ones better than the current
The old ones are definitely the best
Ilford was a nice town not well known and we liked it that way. They gentrified it by building sky scrappers which is not in keeping with the town. Brought a lot of people to the town and became over crowded, plus they closed our swimming pool to cater for a new school
There are a few more skyscrapers bring planned, some of which will be at the Sainsbury's site. What we hope is that the infrastructure to cater for the added population comes along with it and doesn't impact the services currently being offered. Leisure facilities as you point out, should be replaced wherever possible.
@@IlfordRetro
😒 oh no, not more sky scrappers.
Only park remains unchanged.
Anything on the Ilford Grand Hotel in Ilford?
It's an interesting looking building and we're wondering whether the photo we have of that part of the street is good enough to do a comparison with.
Happy days but in my opinion, for what’s it’s worth, it would have worked better as ‘Then & Now’ rather than ‘Now & Then. Just saying 😊
That would have been in line with the trend when doing a retrospective, especially considering many of the book titles in the field. The channel dwells more upon the reminiscing aspect of each scene (the 'then'), hence leading me to move from new to old. Those images sit marginally longer than their new equivalents too. But I understand what you mean, as others tends to do what you've described.
The social fabric of Ilford has been destroyed to build evermore ugly blocks of flats. It will eventually bite you back. Wouldn't go near it nowadays.
Whether they have been built with better facilities for social cohesion than those from the post-war era I don't know, but the effect (good or bad) of high rise across London will be felt in the generations to come. Just as important is the feeling that new block dwellers are as much a part of the community as historical terraced house inhabitants. Are the community hubs - in the face of persistent retail closures - being provided? We hope they are, locally and nationally.
Those sky scrapers are not in keeping with the town. absolute ugly
In 1997 Blair took power and it all went downhill from there.
No earlier, planners got to it late 70s and damage well underway by early 80s.
You're right about that. Episode #080 Winston Way looks at those planning decisions...
I see Cleveland school hasn’t changed much since I was in infants at the start of the ‘70s. It wasn’t great, and fortunately my parents moved me to the local Catholic schools.
Sorry to hear that your experience at Cleveland wasn't the best. The building hasn't changed much, apart from an annexe they've built on one side of it facing Dudley Road. Not that you want to relive your time there, but Episode #033 is all about Cleveland.
Believe it or not, before Communism completed the task, Ilford was correctly known to be Ilford, Essex. Made Mayors have been so successful in their assigned mission, that they've managed to misname most of beautiful Essex as 'London'. They then made sure that beautiful London was no more. Beautiful Essex will soon be completely disappeared too.
In the meantime, until everyone is again ordered to play their part in planned mass panic and turn their homes into Supermax prison cells that need no lock, everyone is perfectly free to pay their extortion money to travel in their car subscription and go on a delightfully traditional outing to the Essex forest, whereupon they can pay Communist Trusts their extortion money to park. Progress.
While we're all in such a nostalgic mood, some may remember our forefathers saying to each other, "It's a free country." Believe it or not, they believed it.
Well this part of Londonstane certainly doesn’t look like this anymore 🤔 RIP
Awful buildings,the only nice bit is the NatWest bank building.the cars are great.
The Natwest bank building is definitely a jewel in the crown of the town centre, along with the Town Hall.
I worked there in 2007 an it was shite
I lived there in the mid 1990s .
Apart from Valentine Park it was a dump