A pictorial history of Kersal Flats with musical accompaniment.

 

 

. A series of clips taken in 2011 from the same point as some old pictures of Kersal Flats from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. These show how much the area has deteriorated.

 

A series of clips taken in 2011 from the same point as some old personal pictures from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. These show how much the area has deteriorated.

Some ITN news footage of the flooding of Kersal Flats on the 28th October 1980. The clip shows the scale and the extent of the flooding, some remedial action, and children playing. I was playing at the bottom of Shelley House on that date but sadly (or perhaps not) I am not in the film footage.

 

Some footage of Kersal Flats in 1960, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1985, and 1986.

 

Some footage of Kersal Flats on the 17th August 1990 as they awaited demolition. This is quite a poignant video of a community abandoned and a dream of modern living which turned into failure. It is also a farewell to many fond memories for many people.

 

 

 

News footage from the 1pm ITN news of the demolition of Kersal Flats on the 14th October 1990. This event was apparently the largest controlled demolition ever.

 

 

 

 

News footage from the 8.30pm ITN news of the demolition of Kersal Flats on the 14th October 1990. This clip is shorter but it has pictures of a defiant lift shaft in Johnson House at the end.

 

 

An extract from a 1974 Granda TV news story on housing crisis, slums, the housing boom and mortgages. This extract features the late Tony Wilson filming in Rushley Avenue near Kersal Flats, and has footage of the flats and the surrounding streets

 

 

A series of clips of Kersal Flats and Kersal in 1971. This includes clips of the flats, Kersal Dale, Kersal Moor, Kersal Cells, the Irwell and Salford University.

 

 

A series of clips filmed by the late Herbert Randle in and around Kersal Flats in the 1970s. They provide a great glimpse of life in Kersal in this period.

 

 

A fancy dress parade in Kersal circa 1976 which was filmed by the late Herbert Randle. I am actually in this video in fancy dress.

 

 

Some clips of Kersal Dale taken in the 1970s by the late Herbert Randle. They clearly show why Kersal Folk loved the Dale and spent most of their childhood on it.

 

Some movie footage of a fun day on Kersal Dale circa 1976 taken by the late Herbert Randle

 

 

The following is a short clip (repeated three times) from the movie The White Bus (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061181/). This was a short movie made in 1967 starring Arthur Lowe. It was based upon a story by Shelagh Delaney most famous for A Taste of Honey. It was a quite surreal movie which followed the adventures of a suicidal young secretary who experiences a hallucinatory tour of London on the open top bus tour of the Mayor Arthur Lowe. However, much of the film was shot in Salford including a one minute scene which sees a tour of Kersal Flats. The footage of Kersal Flats was shot from the roof of Chaucer Court. The movie has never been commercially released so the quality of the film is less than perfect

 

 

 

 

This is a clip of Kersal Flats taken from an ITN News Story of Tower Blocks in Salford in 1986 called Minimal Entry. The clip is short and hence is repeated several times. The clip moves from Milton House, round to the shops, and then shows Burns, Blake, Cowper and Keats Houses. The estate is clearly very run down by this time and is clearly on its last legs. The full news story can be seen below

 

 

 

 

This is a second clip of Kersal Flats taken from an ITN News Story of Tower Blocks in Salford in 1986 called Minimal Entry. The clip is of some form of social worker in front of Keats Courts discussing a particular case which shows how badly the area had deteriorated. The full news story can be seen below.

 

 

In 1980 Salford City celebrated its 750th anniversay. One of the events staged was a "girls day" on the Racecourse. This footage shows the flats and the Racecourse.