I've seen what South Shields looked like on a busy 1950s Saturday afternoon: On film

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Ever wondered what life was like in South Shields 70 years ago?

There’s no need to wonder any more. We have this fascinating cine footage to share from a packed Saturday afternoon in the town centre in 1952.

A still from the film, showing how busy South Shields was in the 1950s.A still from the film, showing how busy South Shields was in the 1950s.
A still from the film, showing how busy South Shields was in the 1950s. | North East Film Archive

Film brilliance from 1952

It comes to us courtesy of the North East Film Archive and is a one minute section of a brilliant 10 minute film, filled with memories.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was originally shot by Harry Winship, a Traffic Inspector for South Shields Borough Police, to highlight the dangers caused by people walking in between moving traffic to cross roads.

Shoppers risking their safety in Shields town centre

Harry took the footage while driving around town in an Austin Somerset unmarked police car on a busy Saturday afternoon.

People vied with vans, bikes and cars for space in 1952.People vied with vans, bikes and cars for space in 1952.
People vied with vans, bikes and cars for space in 1952. | North East Film Archive

He visited the Market Place, Ocean Road and King Street and here is that footage, seen for the first time in 70 years.

70,000 original pieces of film

But that’s only one small nugget of film gold from the North East Film Archive library which has a vast collection.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Its team has painstakingly taken on the task of preserving, cataloguing, and digitising these vital collections of reminders of our past.

A 1952 reminder of Saturdays in South Shields. Tell us if it brings back memories for you.A 1952 reminder of Saturdays in South Shields. Tell us if it brings back memories for you.
A 1952 reminder of Saturdays in South Shields. Tell us if it brings back memories for you. | North East Film Archive

New rental platform

NEFA has a huge catalogue of over 70,000 items of original film, video tape, and born-digital material. Its team painstakingly preserves, catalogues, and digitises these vital collections of reminders of our past.

NEFA operates the The Yorkshire Film Archive in York, and the North East Film Archive, in Middlesbrough.

It also has a new rental platform at https://yfanefa.vhx.tv/

For February, the rental price for NEFA footage has been reduced to £1.99 for 7 days.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1849
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice