Ten Years that Changed a Town

Like every other town in Great Britain, Colwyn Bay spent the 1950s shaking off the effects and austerity that were the legacy of the Second World War. Colwyn Bay, however, had been affected by the war in a very special way. To a large degree, the optimism generated in other towns following the war was not mirrored by that shown in Colwyn Bay. Once the war was over and the Ministry of Food decamped back to Guildford, Colwyn Bay had to readjust to the loss of its former glorious role in the life of the country, and come to terms with the austerity of the 1950s. Colwyn Bay reverted to its pre-war role as a holiday resort, but these years were the last hurrah for the seaside holiday before the advent of holidaying abroad. Colwyn Bay struggled through the '50s trying to find a new role for the town. For Colwyn Bay, the '50s were invigorating and a wakeup call to the realities of the changed world following the chaos of the 1940s.

The 1950s proved to be a period of great change in South Shields, when residents were beginning to put their lives back together after the Second World War. New housing estates and factories were built, bringing increased prosperity to the area. The decade also brought rock 'n' roll and late nights out on the town, allowing young people to experience the new nightclubs opening up in the area. Now a time of nostalgia, it was a period when people began looking forwards to the future, not back at the horrors of war, to kick up their heels and have fun. In South Shields in the 1950s, local author Eileen Burnett explores this significant period in the area's history and brings it to life. The book contains evocative images that will transport the reader back to these joyful, progressive years.