Hung out to Dry - Girvan SW Scotland.

Girvan is a fishing village and ageing seaside town on SW Scotland. I wanted to explore the main street, inspired by old images, to see if a comment from one local, that the town had been hung out to dry - was true, or had any credibility.
By stepping away from the normal perception of the High Street and creating a washing line of shops 'hung out to dry' I have tried to present an alternative view.
This, I believe, visually shows the shocking extent of closed premises - something that is invisible thanks to the daily familiarity of walking up and down the street.

[@jamesreid2651]

Absolutely loved my holidays in Girvan in the early 1970's, great memories so sad to see it this way.

[@jacqueline4905]

Thanks for this ❤

[@andrewpreston4127]

Doesn't look too bad to me. As for the closed shops, I'm speaking from England, well, Girvan looks hardly different from what the town centres, and high streets, of many substantially larger towns down here look like. Girvan has a lovely railway station, art deco, as I recall.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

Edit: having compared it using another video, I would say that even my comment in terms of the stores being of lower quality is probably off... yes, like most of Scotland it is past it's peak, but than, Scotland's peak was in the 19th century or earlier as a whole, with only a few towns on the rise in terms of activity...
seems like there is a lot of pleasantness in the various parks and architecture with still a great multitude of such activities as require not shops and cash, as well as it does seem, quite a nicely active harbor... once you get out of the slightly run-down portion of town, you come across areas which are reasonably vibrant for a small community... indeed, a few activities do seem to exist which are "resort like" and some of the shops are quite upscale... viewed in the setting of being a rural place, it seems the town is at least fairly plodding along.

[@Doug-tp7pf]

I got my first penknife in Girvan around 1968.

[@davidcollins9335]

Anybody remember the helta skelta 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✌️ family had a caravan just outside Ballentra, old snib, looks like a ghost town, very sad ✌️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@1962starchild]

WE USED TO HAVE A CARAVAN AT CROY BEACH AT WE ALWAYS CAME TO GIRVAN .IT WAS A GREAT WEE SEASIDE TOWN .

[@MrSamFerguson]

This is my hometown which I left 44 years ago, its to all intents and purposes unrecognisable now.
Such a shame, it truly has been "hung out to dry", very sad.

[@williammcilwraith9304]

I left 46 years ago. Went to England, now live in the Lake District.

[@colinmcmillan2642]

Very interesting concept Craig. It really makes your point when viewed with the reversed photos. Girvan still has a lot to offer and my wife and I visit regularly, but I guess all things are relative - we come from East Ayrshire.

[@isobelanderson-rp9pt]

Maly's Cafe was my dad's shoe shop 1940's to 1950.We lived in the apartment above.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

see other comment for a more rounded view...
by purely looks of this video however, whilst it does have somewhat less shops
the more prevalent thing is that so many of the shops around are businesses of poverty so to speak... cheap chippies and discount stores, maybe a few somewhat better curry shops, but again, of the lowest variety in terms of seating and furnishings... possibly a few hotel/B&Bs & the bank are the only buildings which actually carry the old grandeur on into the commercial premises...
to say this, one must remember the old camera sought that which was beautiful & gallant, whether as the new camera searches for things that will cause concern and ache... so, we must understand the different purpose of the authors... the old (start of the century) city too, would have had such areas of deprivation & poverty, possibly more so than today,(a fishing village is rarely rich) thinking of the towns in Fife for reference, there were spots of squalor, but, these were slums, & would have stayed out of the picture... the narrow backyard tenements unseen from the streets.... small huts around the harbor itself... my guess is, Girvan too would have had those, and the fact that they were hidden is both better & worse.

[@andrewsmith-cm9qw]

Loved visiting there in the 70s had a great swimming pool and fabulous fish and chips

[@Theleague0fshad0ws]

Where was the swimming pool?

[@andrewsmith-cm9qw]

@@Theleague0fshad0ws it was at the harbour

[@Theleague0fshad0ws]

@@andrewsmith-cm9qw they replaced it with the new leisure centre that the roof has blown off?

[@ladygardener100]

We used to take a farm cottage for summer in 1950's.

[@jacqueline4905]

Maybe worse or better now with the new bypass

[@JamesDickson-vs5of]

Anyone know a Jim hallam from girvan?

[@jacobite1017]

Volume dude.

[@gavinmcinally8442]

Have you tried the volume button.?

[@gavinmcinally8442]

Went to Girvan for 2 weeks back in the 70s, rained every day.😢