1957: Blackburn's WAKES WEEK Holiday | Tonight | Voice of the People | BBC Archive 

I love these old films. Thank you so much for sharing them with us.

Loved the old chap at the end, locking up at John Baynes' Mill on Cicely. I was 13 months old when this film was made, and lived about 50 yards from the top of Cicely. Happy memories of my old hometown. Now changed beyond belief....forever.

Wonderful, I didn’t want this film to end!

To think I was 9 days old, when this film was made ! My family moved from the smoke to this wonderful cotton town in 59. Things have changed since I was growing up here, and some not for the better. But a great piece of film all the same.

I attended Four Lanes End School during WW2 and used to swim in both Freckleton Street and Belper Street Baths. All are now demolished! So this great old film brings back a lot of memories.

Could watch hours of this..

The man at the end cut a lonely figure, indeed. And despite the fact it was a holiday, there weren't too many happy faces.

I read the news today, oh boy Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire

looking at the 3 little girls playing in the back alley, it looks like Pendle street at the copy nook end, I used to walk up that alley every day, en route to St Marys school in the early 60's.🤩My mistake,4 .🥰

Getting some tripe for the ol mans supper. Stinking out the house and making pots black

Wonderful ❤

Notice nearly every man wore a tie? My Grandad always wore a tie, even when we went coarse fishing, what a time portal on a lost world.

I feel I would have loved to live back then. So simple. But I'm sure wasn't all roses

that closing scene

I love this channel. I'm fascinated by the filming and editing through the ages.

Wow how Blackburn has changed these days

Surprising how smartly dressed people where, and slim, not so now if you go into Blackburn these days

Mr Matthews head teacher at St James Lwr Darwen (near Blackburn) taught me how to wooden clog dance in the early 80s, So these places have their traditions. Lets just say that these type of 'folk' have fled out of the inner city out into the surrounding countryside such as the Ribble Valley for 'reasons'.

Well, what a surprise, I didn't see one black face.

I think that baby's crying was dubbed. Or maybe they cried in a different way back then. Must have been all the coal dust. Lovely film.

Last week of July 1957 and everyone is wearing overcoats. Just like this year.

I think I'd have emigrated. You can almost feel the damp seeping into your bones.

Wow My time 1960 Newcastle, We had nothing Lovely child happiness Remember Parents only had children Nothing else to do but given us happiness It not rocket science 1950 /60 /70 Made England ❤ Golden years back then Love these programs Especially black and white Memory always Thanks Sad today England lost it way For wrong reasons Sad.... ..

They looked old and careworn even when young 😮

What was everybody chewing on at about 2:30?

Look at the kids leaving school, without the sign of a waiting parent.... Kx

Facinating. Just like the "Potters Fortnight" in Stoke which ran into the late 80s until Thatcher and Co did for the working classes. The Upper Classes were rightly forced into ending Colonialism and then simply shifted all the industry to former Colonies for cheaper labour and destroyed communities at home as a nationwide rebuff. Still taking us for mugs to this day. Oh well, at least I can be grateful I am not a Night Watchman staying at the Cemetery Hotel in Blackburn in 1957 though! 😂 Interesting to see John Schlesinger cut his teeth directing this. There are some similar clips, adverts and shorts of many Directors including Ridley Scott and David Fincher on here.

That pub was demolished in 2012, i think it said. Prior to then it had been an Indian restaurant. Kx

Wow. Look at it. The north is grim.

What has happened to the old Blackburn, hardly anything left of it even though its only 3% of the population wagging the tail of the dog!!Labour has so much to answer for,Mr Jack Straw😊

When Britain was Britain.

No boats walking tents men in bed sheets walking down the road no acid and machete

Long gone of the days made in the UK most of the worlds manufacturing his made in China

How the human spirit survived this I'll never know.

What were they all chewing? Surely not gum in those days?

They didn't realise how good they had it. 60 years later they would be a living in a 3rd world city

What has happened to our country 😔

To day Most Asians live there Today

What's become of our country ?

That one strange American accent that 'factory worker' put on. That r and de instead of 'the' tells me that it's not trans-atlantic either.

It’s not like that any more I bet. It probably mostly Islamic now.

What a bleak place England was, some 12 years after WW2.

Was it due to slavery or climate change?

Something something immigration and pc culture

We had an ENGLAND, back then!!!! Civilised and productive!!!

What happened to our beautiful country?