Ten Years that changed a City

When the author first moved to Southampton from Middlesex in 1985, he thought it was rather like a provincial town in comparison to London and its outer suburbs. But already things were beginning to change, and even before the end of the 1980s the old Victorian docks had been redeveloped into Ocean Village – a mixture of marina, two- or three storey residential housing, retail, catering and leisure facilities. This was soon followed by a similar, smaller redevelopment of nearby Town Quay, and two new purpose-built roofed-in shopping centres, the Bargate Centre, extending parallel to East Street and Hanover Buildings; and the Marlands Centre, connecting Above Bar Street with Portland Terrace and Civic Centre Road. Throughout this period, and into the next decade, a succession of ambitious projects were mooted – some, like the city centre monorail or the roofing-over of Guildhall Square and part of Above Bar Street, never materialised. Others, like the redevelopment of the 'Retail Village', between the Western Esplanade and West Quay Road or the huge West Quay Shopping Centre, opened in 2000, have completely transformed the city. From a rather insular port town, with what can only be described as very dreary post-war architecture and unimaginative civic planning, in less then three decades Southampton has become truly a vibrant, modern, bustling commercial city. The last fifteen years has also seen an extensive – and much needed – residential redevelopment, bringing life back to the lower High Street, Briton Street, Terminus Terrace and the Chapel/Crosshouse district. This book attempts to record something of what has been lost, and what has been gained in the last thirty years of progress and change.

Changed by the 1950s, Norwich was to alter even more during the 1960s. Increased traffic would be met with widened roads and a new flyover, while London Street became pedestrians only. After centuries of trading there the cattle market would move out of the city centre. Bigger buildings changed its skyline and the city gained a university and a new library. THE BEATLES PLAYED HERE, SECRET CHEMICAL TESTS WERE CARRIED OUT THERE AND PLANS TO MODERNISE WERE EVERYWHERE. In this sequel to his hugely popular book Norwich in the 1950s, Pete Goodrum takes a fascinating look at the ten years in which the baby boomers came into their own. As the fifties faded away and sixties style arrived, this was the decade that altered the face of the city.

At the beginning of the 1950s, Leicester was an industrial city picking itself up from the debris of the Second World War. Compared with nearby Coventry, Leicester has been a relatively safe place, but the effects of the Blitz were still very evident in New Walk and in the residential areas of Highfields and Stoneygate. After years of operating on a wartime economy, Leicester's major industries – textiles, hosiery and machine tools – faced the challenge of returning to domestic production, and in assimilating a large male workforce returning from the battlefields of Europe and beyond to civilian life. In Leicester in the 1950s, Stephen Butt traces the vibrant lives of those recovering from the destruction of the Second World War.

Norwich in 1950 was a different place. Still scarred by war the city was coming to terms with itself. Children played in the rubble of bomb sites, and workers strove to build a prosperous peace on building sites. By the end of the decade the retail heart of the city would be reconstructed, new building programmes would be changing domestic life, and the manufacturing industries would be making world-class products with household names. Birthplace of Barclays, Aviva, Start-Rite and Colmans, the city was ready to embark on another chapter in its long history of commercial and cultural development. From post-war austerity to the threshold of the consumer society, Norwich embraced the 1950s as a decade of change.

The 1950s in York was a decade of reconstruction and regeneration after the depredations of the Second World War. This book charts these changes to give a unique picture of the city that gradually emerged over the years 1950–59. It covers developments in the railway and confectionery industries that provided the foundation for growth and prosperity - the changing face of trade on the high street; the growth of tourism; the role of the media in the city; music, cinema, theatre and entertainment; schools, colleges and hospitals in the city; and York City FC. Using archive material from The York Press, York City Archives and the prestigious Borthwick Institute at the University of York, this book provides a unique history of York in an often forgotten decade, forgotten even though it provides the bedrock for much of what we see today.

Throughout the 1960s, there was a feeling of prosperity and progress in Preston. A Lancashire town throwing off the shackles of the cotton trade, it took other industrial and commercial challenges on board. Better roads and transport, improved housing and revolutionised shopping outlets all reflected the feeling of progress. The poverty of Preston seemed to be in decline, and the churches were helping to shape a brighter future with spiritual and practical help. In many ways, Preston mirrored national trends and teenagers began to play their part with music and leisure pursuits for pleasure. Yes, there were still crimes, criminals, tragedy and trauma, yet among it all there was triumph, be it socially or in the sporting arenas – enough to ensure the pride was still in Preston. A decade that appeared to begin in black and white was to end in glorious technicolour – or so it seems on reflection.

EDINBURGH in the 1950s was a very different place. After the ravages of war, the International Festival and Military Tattoo was introduced as an antidote to post-war austerity, the new Civic Survey and Plan put forward grandiose recommendations for change, and a new young Queen visited the city. This was a time when slum housing was a blight on many people's lives, but there was a real sense of community that was ultimately lost in the move to sparkling, modern homes in the new housing estates. People continued to use the trams to travel to work in the many factories or make trips to Portobello for a day of fun, but they were slowly usurped by the car. It was a glory period for the local football teams, and nights spent dancing or at the pictures were a weekly event. There was still the horse-drawn milk float and children played in streets that were lit by gas. Beautifully illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, Edinburgh in the 1950s provides an exceptional insight into a time now acknowledged as the end of an era in Edinburgh - for good and for bad.

This is the third volume in a unique and exciting series on the modern history of York. With the dawning of the 1970s the city underwent seismic changes that saw it become one of Europe's foremost historical and cultural cities. Tourism had come to stay, with such major events as the pedestrianisation of Stonegate, the opening of the world-famous National Railway Museum, the momentous excavations in Coppergate, which paved the way for the celebrated Jorvik Viking Centre, and the opening of the Minster undercroft to the public. Join Paul Chrystal as he describes and depicts all of these and many more fascinating details about York during this pivotal decade in the city's splendid history.

Chester is well known as a Roman city once called Deva Victrix around 2,000 years ago. Over the centuries the city has seen significant change, but this has been done sympathetically for the most part and in keeping with the general antiquity of the surrounding buildings and streets.In this sequel to his previous book Chester in the 1950s, Paul Hurley takes a fascinating look at the ten years in which the baby boomers came into their own. As the fifties faded away and the sixties style arrived, this was a decade that altered the face of the city.

The 1950s. The mid-point of the twentieth century. When those born in the nineteenth century met their grandchildren who would live in the twenty-first. A pivotal moment, certainly. And is it really true? Had we 'never had it so good', as Prime Minister Macmillan said? This book is the story of Swansea in those years, when post-war austerity moved towards the indulgence of the sixties. A period of affluence and full employment, a time of increased confidence and optimism. A time when Swansea began to rebuild itself after terrible wartime devastation and looked to a bright future, despite an exhausted valley where the trains crept slowly between the twisted slag heaps alongside a poisoned river. Everything would soon be so much better. The future was so bright… Swansea in the 1950s follows the development of Swansea through this momentous decade. The story of how Swansea played its own part in the big news of the era – the Coronation, the Atom Bomb, Rock Around the Clock, the Korean War, Sputnik, the Suez Crisis and television, – and how it managed its own triumphs and disasters.

For the people of Leicester, the 1960s was a decade of great social and economic change. It was to see a revolution in social attitudes reflected in the popular music of the time, in fashion, and in the print and broadcast media. Life changed for everyone. Railway stations closed as the motor vehicle grew in popularity. National Service ended, the pirate radio stations were scuppered, colour television became available, and the fashion garments manufactured by Leicester's giant textile companies were very different and sometimes extreme as hemlines rose dramatically. Changing attitudes led to social conflict between parents and children, teachers and pupils. Meanwhile, the teenagers danced at Il Rondo to The Who and Fleetwood Mac, and swooned to The Beatles at the De Montfort Hall. In Leicester in the 1960s, Stephen Butt charts the excitement and vibrancy of the 'Swinging Sixties' and reflects also on the economic and social problems that were just beneath the surface.

Chester is well known as a Roman city, and has seen significant change over the centuries. This has been done sympathetically for the most part, and in keeping with the general antiquity of the surrounding buildings and streets. Chester in the 1950s was a time of reawakening following the dark years of the Second World War. The city was lucky to miss much damage during the conflict, but like the rest of Britain the residents suffered from privation and rationing, not to mention the boys and men who would never return to their hometown. From post-war austerity to the threshold of consumer society, Chester embraced the 1950s as a decade of renewal and opportunity.

The 1970s was a decade of change. Supermarkets began to take over from traditional stores, high-rise office blocks appeared on the skyline, and Leicester's first shopping centre replaced familiar Victorian shops and hotels. It was a time of industrial unrest. The lights went out as coal stocks diminished. Pay packets were depleted as Leicester's workers faced a three-day week, prices in the shops began to soar, and we all shivered during the 'winter of discontent'. It was a turning point in the way we viewed ourselves and the world. Social attitudes to mental health, homosexuality and feminism were still rooted in the past, but the world was changing. People took to Leicester's streets to support anti-racism, and we began to clean up our environment. In Leicester in the 1950s Stephen Butt remembers what made the decade so special for so many, but also the events which were to change significantly the course of Leicester's future.

This is the second volume in a unique and exciting series on the history of York. York in the 1960s provides an account of York life during a definitive decade. Ten years in which the city emerged from the greyness of the largely derelict 1950s into a technicolour world of personal freedom and growing disposable incomes, allowing some to spend that money on newly available labour-saving devices, televisions, cars and holidays. Crucial to York in the 1960s was the ground-breaking Esher Report and the long-overdue University of York. Esher shaped today's city; the university's contribution to the city's social, cultural, educational and scientific fabric was, and remains, inestimable. York in the 1960s will please and satisfy curiosity whether you grew up here then, whether you have left and want to rekindle your childhood and teenage memories, or whether you are a child of the twenty-first century curious to know what was going on in that exuberant decade.