Aylmer Square lives large in my childhood. I moved to St Austell as a youngster from Lincolnshire (1974) . The Wimpy burger bar in particular (I had an aunt who worked there). Sadly my parents moved to Wiltshire in 79 and my visits to St Austell were seldom.Thank you for this ,it has bought it all back.
I currently live in St. Austell and watching this has helped me to see how much the town centre has changed I won't say it is all for the better thank you for posting this
Before the first supermarket (Tesco) was built - after alot of opposition from local retailers. Remember going to the Odeon cinema in Aylmer Square on Saturday mornings - kids club with cartoons and westerns.
As a church musician from this area, I was interested to see the "organ restoration appeal" board outside Holy Trinity Church. It seems (according to an account of the building's history available in the church for visitors to read) that the decision to restore the organ was made in 1970, whilst the National Pipe Organ Register gives the date of the rebuild as 1973 - which nicely corroborates the date you give for the footage. In any case, it dates from a few years before my time (my memories of the town begin in the early 1980s), but quite a lot seems to have changed even in the ten years or so after it was taken. Thank you, Geoff, for making it available for us all to see!
What a lovely busy town St Austell was then with cars going through the town and shops open, forward to November 2024 and the town is now a deserted shi*hole with empty shops and dossers and beggers sleeping in doorways, we moved here in 1991 and it was still a busy town with Aylmer Square still thriving but since the town was rebuilt it's jyst gone down hill rapidly, we only went in to go in Wilko's but safly that gone too RIP St Austell 😢😢
I see you drove through St Blazey as well. Shame you couldn't make out my grandfather's shop. It would have been 'Smith Bros' then. Thanks for sharing.
Great bit of film Geoff, slightly before my time (I wasn't born till 1977) but I remember a lot if it very well, shame there wasn't more film of the driving
This film looks more like early 80's ...there is a glimpse of the Film centre cinema in this film and the cinema was taken over in 1978 and the masonry of the exterior was covered in corrugated metal- just like it is in this film ...so it dosent seem likely this was in the 1970's - it must be 1980's
Wow thanks, great footage of Cornwall in the early 70s before pvc ,the cars ect ,a time capsule ,loved it .
And they call it progress….. I think we were better off with the St Austell of the 70s than what we have today. Thank you for posting a good reminder.
In the 70s, everyone moaned about Aylmer Square and said it was an eyesore.
Aylmer Square lives large in my childhood. I moved to St Austell as a youngster from Lincolnshire (1974) . The Wimpy burger bar in particular (I had an aunt who worked there). Sadly my parents moved to Wiltshire in 79 and my visits to St Austell were seldom.Thank you for this ,it has bought it all back.
Was a great place to live with great family and great friends , this brought back some lovely memory's.
Wow! Snozzle in potato vision; it doesn't get more nostalgic than that. Thanks for collecting these old movies and for uploading.
I currently live in St. Austell and watching this has helped me to see how much the town centre has changed I won't say it is all for the better thank you for posting this
looks better back then
You couldn’t say it’s changed for the better unless your a liar! Lol but time n tide wait for no man.
Went there about 3 months ago . Unlike in this great video it’s just a dump . We didn’t even feel safe . What’s gone wrong.
And St Blazey/Lostwithiel. Nice little movie. Thanks.
Before the first supermarket (Tesco) was built - after alot of opposition from local retailers. Remember going to the Odeon cinema in Aylmer Square on Saturday mornings - kids club with cartoons and westerns.
As a church musician from this area, I was interested to see the "organ restoration appeal" board outside Holy Trinity Church. It seems (according to an account of the building's history available in the church for visitors to read) that the decision to restore the organ was made in 1970, whilst the National Pipe Organ Register gives the date of the rebuild as 1973 - which nicely corroborates the date you give for the footage. In any case, it dates from a few years before my time (my memories of the town begin in the early 1980s), but quite a lot seems to have changed even in the ten years or so after it was taken. Thank you, Geoff, for making it available for us all to see!
What a lovely busy town St Austell was then with cars going through the town and shops open, forward to November 2024 and the town is now a deserted shi*hole with empty shops and dossers and beggers sleeping in doorways, we moved here in 1991 and it was still a busy town with Aylmer Square still thriving but since the town was rebuilt it's jyst gone down hill rapidly, we only went in to go in Wilko's but safly that gone too RIP St Austell 😢😢
Wonderful to see it then
I see you drove through St Blazey as well. Shame you couldn't make out my grandfather's shop. It would have been 'Smith Bros' then. Thanks for sharing.
St austell of 2020 is overrun with druggies and downbeats, a shame as it used to be a thriving town, double out!
Super old video.
I think the boy with the mullet at 1 min 40 secs is me.. Thanks...
Aaaah the good old times lol 😝
Great bit of film Geoff, slightly before my time (I wasn't born till 1977) but I remember a lot if it very well, shame there wasn't more film of the driving
This is not St Austell. It’s not raining and all the people are thin.
Having lived here for the past 10 years what the fuck went wrong 😂
Ask Steve Double
This film looks more like early 80's ...there is a glimpse of the Film centre cinema in this film and the cinema was taken over in 1978 and the masonry of the exterior was covered in corrugated metal- just like it is in this film ...so it dosent seem likely this was in the 1970's - it must be 1980's
It's definitely 70s, you can tell by the cars. Also when he drives through St Blazey, the Rainbow Rooms has its previous name.
and it’s all gone to bloody waste
Time, like the wind, goes hurrying by 🧭