A cine film documenting, Harlow New Town in Essex. Filmed between 1962 & 1966 Shot and edited by the late Eric Alvin Commentary by his wife Gill Alvin They were both part of the Epping Cine & Video Club en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlow
I grew up in Harlow during the 1970s and it was a magical place for kids to live and to play. However, I had the misfortune of visiting there last year and what a mistake that was. It felt like its heart and soul had been ripped out. It has become an overcrowded and overdeveloped dump - so much for progress.
I have never been to Harlow but I loved this film for a certain almost surreal quality.(enhanced by the music and the deadpan narrator) I live in Milton Keynes so this is sort of familiar territory, Mk is more a child of the 70s really. I really like this page. It's relaxing. If you people represent the people of Harlow then they are good people. Cant say the architecture is setting my pants on fire mind you.
Late 80's early 90's it was still beautiful, loved living here as kid... But the council never prepared for the next generation preferring to spend money on developing a bigger shopping experience for outsiders a new town hall, simultaneously closing down every amenity we grew up with aswell as knocking down all them iconic buildings, have they sold them priceless sculptures yet? Won't be long.
My parents moved to Harlow in 1961, I was 11, lived there until 1968 when I left home and started work near windsor. Harlow was a credit to its visionary developers and planners, a great place to live , very good community, most folk lived in and rented a council house…very egalitarian. Before Mrs T became obssessed with capitalism and home ownership and ruined so many towns… it was a visionary experiment that blossomed but apparantly subsequently withered on the vine due to subsequent short term planning and lack of vision to keep the plan going….
+RedJoe10 Hey Joe. I dont know why but I found your comment rather poignant. I hope today finds you well. I have no idea how old you are but I am guessing you are older than me. I am 40 and the world is beginning to look changed beyond recognition to me. I imagine if you are much older than me then it must be almost bewildering to see the changes. huh. I sometimes wonder if the world is still a good place to be. Well I hope you are feeling less of the bitter and more of the sweet. Have a great day. PS I have never been to Harlow, how the hell did I end up here? Nobody knows.
Harlow looked better in it's early days full of life, it was beautiful nowadays it's a ghost town nothing to be proud of..it's dull and looks like a kids painting.. Nothing nice to see around Harlow, most would say this town does not deserve to be classed as a new town more like a dump that needs to be improved.
+laughing nutter Your dead right I hate having to go into harlow It is i am afraid to say the same as most so called new towns a real dump that needs to be improved They all seem to have lost the vision that was around at the time to be a pleasant place to live now they are just over developed slums
