Demolition of Dukinfield 1969 - 1970

[GamesFrontiers]

This area's a lot more ugly since they demolished the old houses and shops. It lost its character. Same story all over England.

[TamesideOnline]

Interesting to see old parts of Dukinfield from before I was born!

[MCchampers]

This is beautiful, and sad. A great choice of music to accompany the video. I'm so glad your aunt had the forethought to shoot this and pass it on to us. No matter what was built in place of this community it will never be the same. A taste of the England I remember growing up and will never forget.

[seftonwallet]

@MCchampers Many thanks for your kind comment.

[62Joanne]

I used to deliver papers to Parliament street around 1966, and that red crane you can see at the bottom of the street was always parked there then. Sad to think of all those people that are gone, along with there memories.

[davemckiernan]

This 'progress' is to demolish quality buildings and erect new, ugly, aluminium-clad ones, so that councils or foreign investors can charge huge rents and allow the service industry to boom. Meanwhile, manufacturing in Britain falls to an all time low and consequently we are no longer proud to be British. Couple this with the social problems, mostly brought on by the abolition of corporal punishment, and you end up with a very cold environment in which you are afraid to walk the streets.

[freethoughtmusic]

Thank goodness for whoever took this film, a great piece of heritage preserved. The irony is that I bet that the old slums were safer than what is now in their place. I would hedge a bet that the new development is now riddled with street-gangs and other social problems.

[seftonwallet]

@freethoughtmusic It was my late Aunt Elsie who filmed this.

That's her ladies dress shop at the beginning of the film.

She died three years ago age 89.

[Sp33dDem0n1]

I bet they wacked up a load of tower blocks on the site lol.

[6969Wolf6969]

I love how they put that stick on the bulldozer and use it to knock the building.

That is sweet.

Total destruction. Nice to see that old crap come down.

[ilikemunting]

i wish they could demolish it again, oh and while there doing that demolish Hyde, Hurst cross and Denton at the same time...

[TonyDanza76]

@ilikemunting Don't be lumping Hyde in with Hurst Cross and Denton thanks. It still has some lovely bits and my house has 4 bathrooms. I like the golf course behind my house, and the clear view of Werneth Low from my bedroom window.

[bignaughtydog]

@TonyDanza76 i used to love werneth low.i spent many sundays there.live in bodmin now but still miss it.

[dimb9]

why was it demolished?

[seftonwallet]

@dimb9 To make way for so called "re-development".

[BoltJam]

@dimb9 - Slum clearance

[azv56]

wer thay bernt down?

[rinseyno1mutt]

what a great vid, it is sad though watching it

[manc247]

I lived in duky for 20 odd years and some bits I can still remember growing up, thanks for posting it!

[kevkonk]

Don't live anywhere near here, but wonderful video.....

[dramatatus]

I live in that area still. We built industrial history here.

[Ashtonian54]

That is a great film.

I remember the demolition of hundreds of homes on Katherine St and South of there in Ashton about the same time. I totally agree with SeftonWallet. These films are priceless.

Thanks for posting.

[wayneriley1964]

Think my Step-dad worked for the demolition company then, Connell & Finnigan's

[m1e2l3i4t5a6]

I lived in Mary Street Dukinfield just before they were demolished. I must say with a little money for modernising they would have been better than those ugly flats that were put in thier place. I moved abroad in 1970 but on a recent trip back I thought I'd got the wrong country

[gorteen]

We have put so much faith in 'progress' and though we have won much, like foreign holidays, warm houses and air-conditioning in our cars, something vital has escaped us. Something leaked from us when those buildings fell, and sometimes I resent the 'experts' who took neighbour from neighbour.

[marklovell1965]

who cares about some run down northern slum? They should demolish everything north of watford if you ask me....

[seftonwallet]

You're entitled to your opinion Mark Lovell.

We're just grateful that my late aunt was progressive enough to film where we lived before it all disappeared, at time when few people had a cine camera.

[marklovell1965]

I was joking mate, hence the remark about everything North of Watford......A lot of places were bulldozed after the war and throughout the following years.....my dad's entire community was torn down and replaced with a council housing estate, so i understand the nostalgia...........

[Wnoronz]

Sorry mate; they should have demolished Watford (London) and everything south of it !

[TonyDanza76]

@marklovell1965 They should demolish everything east of the London docklands if Eastenders is anything to go by ........

[dizzysb2007]

yeah im from ashton

[u6j65]

What the Luftwaffe didnt destroy we did.

[bob20481421]

A very sad and poignant film. I remember it like that. I bought my first motor bike from Brays Bike shop, not too far away from here. Very well done in preserving it.

[anditsinthere]

Great video Seftonwallet i live in Dukinfield after moving from Ashton, what memories eh?

[mrallnutt]

Oh yes I remember it well

Thankyou very much Sefton

[seftonwallet]

Were you from Dukinfield??

[mrallnutt]

Yes,Tame Valley.I'd forgotten what Town Lane looked like all those years ago.

Once again thanks for the memory.

[seftonwallet]

Which primary school did you attend?

[Tubette1312]

sad. these buildings could have been saved and looked better than anything new

[mitchrhodes]

Lovely footage reminding me (holding back a tear) of my home life on Town Lane. The ladies are appearing from an electrical retailers next to your aunts shop which is next to Knights Chippy, the cleanest of chippies I have ever been in, (Friday tea time getting the family meal, three six's, two cod, a 'puddin' & gravy and mushy peas). Next to Knights, on the corner, is Ken Sorby's mini supermarket (SPAR I think). The black and white building being demolished (sadly) is the Windsor Cottage pub.

[seftonwallet]

The shop next door to Elsie's was Stan Jones' TV & Radio shop.

Stan died quite young in the early 1960s and his wife Eva carried on the business. She's one of the ladies at the door.

The lady at the beginning walking past Ken Sorby's & Ken Knight's chippy is Nina Giblin, formerly of Parliament Street, but then living on Grenville Street.

[Rhettdwarf]

superbly done, Sefton. Poignant but beautiful. I'm watching with almost a lump in my throat....and I have no connection or knowledge of Dukinfield. Lovely example of the power of well selected music.

Was the demolition a much needed clearance of dilapidated housing stock? or an act of social & architectural vandalism?

Once again, great stuff.

[seftonwallet]

This 8mm film was shot by my aunt who will be 89 next month. It is her ladies dress shop that's shown at the opening of the film.

I recently had them converted to DVD and have been adding the music.

I guess the houses and shops needed to come down as they were 19th century stock built for the workers in the local mills and factories. However, as usual what took their place are a mess, and the character of the town has gone. The new will last no where near as long as the old.

[Rhettdwarf]

Please wish your Aunty all the best. It is wonderful that people like herself have the foresight to record small but meaningful images from times past like this.

[tatey39]

I've just produced a research project concerning demolition management and the socio-economic, environmental impact on townscapes. There's a paper I'm presenting to an international conference later this year regarding the same. Your video is beautifully put together and highlights everything I noted during my years of experience as a professional engineer and post-graduate researcher. Thank you.

[eggzy43]

thanks very much seftonwallet...i'll buy it from itunes

[eggzy43]

very moving scenes of times gone by...pleasse what is that lovely tune

[seftonwallet]

I chose this music because it will always be linked to my childhood, and indeed as it will for any British person of my age group. It was title music to "Listen With Mother", ("Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin) which was on the BBC (Radio) Home Service, Monday to Friday 1-45pm in the 1950s. I've seen grown men cry when they hear this again after so many years. Please see the credits at the end of the video for the actual title and composer.

[washershop]

the demolition scenes are great,the bulldozer is an international harvester 175 b.