Channel for those interested in the amateur Films and Documentaries produced by my father, Brian E. Smith OBE (1925 - 2004), who lived in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, UK, from 1961 - 2004.
I spent 4.5 years working on Preston Docks for Seawheel until the long strike which really finished the place off. Great experience and set me up for life.
What an excellent job your father did in filming and documenting this important piece of local and national history. Well done for handling the couple of rather churlish and entitled comments so eloquently.
Thank you Norman for your kind words. Much appreciated. I am very glad that Brian's work and the content he captured can now be appreciated by others through such channels. Lovely to hear his voice too. Thanks again.
Born at St Annes War Memorial Hospital 1957 ,And have Lived here all My Life ,Was So nice to see how the Town Used to Be Instead of the Shambles It Is Now ,
Glad you enjoyed the film. I particularly miss the open air swimming pool, though the water was always cold!! The Square could definitely use a massive rethink in my opinion. Looking at photos of earlier times, when there were significant areas of grass would be a great way forward, at least in my opinion. I guess the maintenance would be considered too expensive. But if they could do it then, why not now? I would like to see the 'metal' removed too.
Yes the open air Baths were great and as you say always cold water. I had My Appendix out in 1976 and In those days you spent 2 weeks in Hospital then at least a couple of months off work So i spent most of that summer at the open air Baths .Great days , @@brianesmithobefilmmaker
I remember the "ship of shame " the manxman ferry which was moored at Preston dock as a nightclub in the 1980s, went into one of the bars one night and saw Kenny Baker of r2d2 fame sitting on the bar ! . Good memories.
Very proud to be from this wonderful corner of the earth. I was 2 at the time of this video. Left the area in 1992 to go to University then lived and traveled all over the world until 2005 when I came to settle back home. Now I live round the corner from the house I grew up in and my son attends the same school that I went to. So many happy memories that I get to relive through these familiar sights every day
I think in the section you refer to my dad was just trying to emphasise new innovations in a generalistic and fun way. There are plenty of shots of ships not using steel hatches in the film. Kind regards.
Thanks for this film ! Grainy, shimmery, summery 8mm 70s St Annes, evoking fond childhood memories of the town(s)😊during this time. My family lived in drab Preston but used to visit my great grandmother in St Annes for the day. The contrast in the environments always struck me. Returning to grey Preston by bus after a great trip to the coast was always a sadness and a wrench for me.☹ Also, shocked to see Wrea Green's Dub pond nearly dried up in the drought.😮
Thank you for this. I was 7 in 1976 and have fond memories of visiting here with my Mum and Dad. Fantastic to see the place again as I remember it. Brilliant. Thank you.
We sailed to Ireland on the Bardic ferry around 1964 for a family holiday. My dad was friends with the Captain, think he was called Johnson or Johnston
Thank you - I was born in the memorial hospital in 1972 and our family was still there in LSA until 2010. My Dad taught at QMS & my mum was a lab technician at KES. Went to Heyhouses from '77 to '83 and was part of the Choir at the Parish Church for 7 years. My sister was born in '76
Thanks David for your comments and glad you enjoyed my dad's film. Brian was the Church Warden at St. Annes Parish church for a number of years and a governor at Heyhouses School. The music prize at Heyhouses Junior was in my dad's name and maybe still is. My mum Enid helped in the production of the large tapestry in the Parish Church Sanctuary. Bernie.
Love the bloke picking up the litter, no stupid ugly hi viz jacket needed and bending down to the pick the litter up, today he would need a litter picker to prevent back injury lol. Been there a few times, lovely place but sadly it's overrun by rich people, house prices will be out of my reach. Even where I live in Wigan it's becoming very hard to afford a nice house that's not some 1 or 2 bed flat, unless you are loaded and have a fancy good paid job.
Happy memories. I worked for Northern Ireland Trailers in 1968. Remember the Bardic Ferry and Dorvic Ferry. My office overlooked the docks so I had a good view. Geest unloaded on the other side of the dock where they had a large warehouse which has now been converted to flats. A huge amount of timber and wood pulp also came into the port.
Hello you wouldnt happen to remember my father Mr Francis {Frank} Heald he worked for the same company he drove a green vauxhall viva originally from Crumpsall Manchester but living in Layton Blackpool . I am his son and remenber clearly going out on day runs with him . He used to park his car in the corner of the yard on a raised bit of ground .
Hi Harvey, as I understand it, and as stated in the atlas page and also on the official town sign, both included at the beginning of my dad's film made in 1976, the official name for the town/area is/was Lytham St. Annes, consisting of St Annes on Sea, Ansdell and Fairhaven, and Lytham. All have their own identities and grew up as separate towns. This film includes content from these environs, plus a quick shot of the dried up pond at Wrea Green. I am afraid I do not understand your comment regarding Marton. Which bit of Marton do you consider is included in the film? Kind regards, Bernie.
Many thanks for a fantastic video, I remember the Port of Preston in the 60’s and a little later when Sealand had a container feeder service with cargo originating in USA, when the Bardic and Cedric Ferries plus other ships of the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company went to Liverpool for their annual overhaul ,the company which I worked for looked after each vessel,when they were dry docked
I sailed to Fleetwood on a small trip to collect fuel from the tanker Patheon Expressor. On the return leg the unlashed barrels fell off the deck. We lost around 400 tons of fuel, but because it was during the night we said nothing.
Oh dear, thanks for sharing. Brian, my dad who made the film, was the founder of the early environmental group Save Our Shoreline, I hope the oil didn't do too much damage to his beloved beach, ha ha!! Kind regards, Bernie.
What a coincidence 1976 was the year l just moved to St. Annes and now is down the memory lane. I have such a great time there for two years..i loved to walk around the town square.l still remembered in that year we experienced one of the hottest summers..
My dad was a tipper wagon driver, round this time and in school holidays we would be in the cab with him. I vividly remember the paper pulp bales. I seem to recall also seeing ship breaking taking place there as well. Thanks for the memories.
Super film. Thanks. My whole working life is Lorries on and off ferries. First. Lifted on Tilbury to Antwerp!!!! . Yesterday Dieppe to Newhaven. Still get a Buzzz.!!!!
Sorry not to hear the Pilot boats mentioned.My father was a Trinity House pilot for many years for the Port of Preston. I would have loved to see him on his Pilot boat here
Knowing my dad, he will have genuinely done the best he could with the limited resources and contacts available to him. He used to get up early on Saturday mornings, the only day he had free, in order to make this film and represent the port as best as he was able within the constraints of his hobby. I sometimes went with him and, if I remember correctly, I was only seven at the time, I filmed some of the banana footage myself. I am sorry the Pilot boats weren't covered in the way that you would have liked. I am sure however he would be very pleased that his little film has now been seen by a wider audience than just his immediate friends and family.
Such a wonderful film. I saw the entrance to my old home on St Anne’s Rd East. I remember going to see The Life of Brian at Ashton Theatre. Nostalgia ❤️
Thanks. great memories of 76. Appreciated the extreme amount of work involved in filming all this and with equipment making it not half as easy as today.
@@brianesmithobefilmmaker couldn’t see any landmarks but yes, it could be where Cypress Point is. Just had another look, difficult to tell but there does appear to be some blurred electricity towers in the background which would locate it around and about where you say. There is a ex CEGB substation at the rear of Cypress Point, the towers would be the feed in, very inconclusive though. These really are great films you’ve posted, thanks for sharing
Hi Stew, so the field definitely was opposite the Radar Station as confirmed by a comment on 'Lytham's Past' Facebook group which you may have seen. Apparently, it used to be referred to as the '100 acre field' and some of the farmers and farm workers in the shots have been identified too. Bernie
@@brianesmithobefilmmaker lucky guess from me then, if it’s close to St Anne’s that’s the only area where there are Electricity Towers. I only use FB as a viewer but I shall go and have a look at the comments. Thanks
Ships looked as if they were sailing in the fields to Preston. St Thomas' C of E School, St Annes often had an outing to the docks. The time I went we were in the banana sheds when a large banana spider was spotted.
I remember as a little girl in the 50’s and 60’s watching these big ships coming down the river into Preston Docks. The sailors would wave at us on the bank, having a picnic and paddling with our mum in charge. We had to be careful of the “wash” that came up on the bank at “Little Blackpool” 😃They were lovely innocent times , egg butties and a bottle of pop ! A real treat in those days 🥰 Happy memories ☺️
