1970 in and around Ilfracombe. As seen on the BBC

As seen on the BBC. 1966 the inaugural launch of the new Lloyds II lifeboat in Ilfracombe, a trip to Clovelly on the Westward Ho boat, a trip to the Old Mill House in Lee, Woolacombe, Tunnels beaches, Exford, Porlock Weir, Baggy Point.

[@onchnc3546]

Ilfracombe has not changed that much. Love the film.

[@jackiestewart3651]

Thankyou. Your Grandad did a splendid job eith this film. Enjoyed it from start to finish!

[@zagacious]

Thank you for that

[@martintodd484]

Look how clean and tidy it looks

[@growlerthe2nd712]

Ilfracombe museum is a must visit full of curious and the bizarre, a wonderful place ❤

[@KarenCoach]

I grew up in North Devon, worked in Woolacombe's Narrocott Grand, Saunton Sands Hotel, and dated a lad in Ilfracombe all in the 1970's - what a great video! I remember also you could visit Clovelly for free - I left to go in search for the bright lights, change the horse for a car.... I still go back to visit my family, and, wished I never left! I often used to go to Ilfacombe with my dad, so seeing the gardens, and the Pavilion where magical, he also used to race the train going along to Ilfracombe from Barnstaple - it reminded me of how much freedom I had then.... well done!

[@zagacious]

What a lovely message, thank you for that, yes Ilfracombe is a beautiful place, sadly there's no longer a train running from Ilfracombe to Barnstaple, a factory in place of the train station, but you're right, always was magical here in the 70s, and still is in many ways :)

[@aljonflavin6760]

Thanks for this memory, got a picture of me flying a kite on Woolacombe beach, dad didn't like Porlock hill when driving mk 1 Ford Concal.

[@zagacious]

Thank you for your comment, yes some of the early cars struggled going up Porlock hill, some were even known to reverse up :)

[@maxwellfan55]

I so wish life and Britain was like this today. This is far better beyond words. Padstow is a similar example. Soon to change after this.

[@arron8627]

My family was there 1976. Fond memories of listening to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody on a jukebox in a coffee in the harbor. It was a hot summer.

[@BeachComber1977]

Thank you for this interesting video. Very clear and colorful! I'm an American living permanantly in the UK and I enjoy watching vintage videos of the places where I've been. I love ilfracombe and many other small coastal towns and villages here.

[@zagacious]

Thank you so much for your lovely comment, much appreciated.

[@davidburgess2354]

Just came across this wonderfully nostalgic film. I was born in Ilfracombe in 1950 and had the most idyllic childhood imaginable where we used to roam free all day at weekends making our own fun and enjoying the wonderful environment. I was living in Slade Valley Road, attending Hermitage primary school when the idyll ceased as we had to move to Portsmouth because dad was in the navy. The transition was brutal! Pompey is flat as a pancake and a very tough naval city where broad North Devon accents were not entirely welcome so in the sad interests of self-preservation I shed the accent. I even came to love Portsmouth for all its downsides but nothing has ever compared to those wonderful early years of joy and discovery in good old Combe!

[@zagacious]

Goodness, them were the days haha, I went to the Church school opposite, now a block of flats. But life was good back in the day and as you say carefree, yes, thank you for posting your message, it certainly took me back to remembering the Church School days, one of the teachers had a wooden bat called Horris and woe betide anyone who defied this teacher haha didn't do us any harm, in fact I think we had a better standard of morals back then.

[@p666ayr]

Hello.. I live on Burnside in lower Slade, great story. I moved here from London to give my children the very experience that you just described. Thank you for sharing your story 🥰

[@davidburgess2354]

@@p666ayr Hi, I hope that moving to ‘Combe has met your expectations. Times are different now but it was a wonderful place in which to grow up free from the shackles of today’s constraints but one thing that doesn’t change is the geography with all those wonderful walks and rock pooling as long as you keep your eye on those brutally big Bristol Channel tides!

[@eno.5796]

Wow!what a Gem,used to holiday in all these places at this time,62 now but remember my Grandad holding my hand down to the sea at Woolacombe, my father also had a cine camera but films now with a cousin,thanks for triggering beautiful memories expecially of Croyde,:-)

[@zagacious]

Thank you so much for your kind comment, much appreciated, important to preserve these old cine clips as they're really precious and irreplaceable :)

[@susanpengelly-theenglishps7495]

Wow. Made me emotional for my childhood growing up there. Love Ilfracombe. Thank you.

[@lucystaveley-brown8777]

Thank you for this film - great quality and really nostalgic. I am sure any other footage you have of the area would be welcomed by viewers - I'd certainly like to see it.

[@cathydyer3774]

Great old video. I loved seeing the old clothes too.

[@lch337]

Thanks for sharing this film. I grew up in Ilfracombe & remember exploring the tunnel from the museum to the beach before the Holiday Inn was demolished. While it wasn't shown, the old salt water swimming baths behind the hotel is where I learned to swim. A lot has changed since then.

[@elliottg.1954]

Good points mate. The tunnel, which closed a long time ago, led to Watersmouth and you can still see the exit on the beach. There were underpasses on Wilder Rd, and you could use one to get to the Tunnel Baths. Ilfracombe has indeed changed and it's a shadow of its former self.

[@TheCaboChannelMexico]

What a discovery. My aunt, uncle and cousins lived in Chambercombe Park Terrace (I think?) up on the hill and for a kid from London, Ilfracombe, Coombe Martin and Woolacombe were the most magical places in the world. Later on, I remember a pub called the Thatched Inn was close. More importantly, running free all over the place safely and riding mopeds in the forest were some of the happiest times in my life. So many happy memories, thanks for sharing!

[@jungletiger1900]

Beautiful area, thanks for bringing back nice old memories.

[@leogolbourn9800]

To quote Carly Simon. “It was so easy then”

[@baz-wc4fi]

Just love these old Films, very Rare to see somebody of Colour!!? What went wrong? Also Hand cranked Petrol Pumps!! Brilliant

[@KarenCoach]

I loved the hand cranked petrol pumps!

[@phillipbrown8571]

was on holiday there in 1971 love the place

[@welshlyn9097]

I was there 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@fig1115]

thanks for sharing

[@combepix876]

Thanks for this, it's great to see the town in 1970s, like going back in time. This is actually quite valuable footage -you even got the Pavilion in there. Unfortunately Ilfracombe's very much run down nowadays, the High Street especially. They haven't looked after their heritage very well at all. Great pictures though on here 👍

[@zagacious]

Thank you so much for your kind words, you’ve given me encouragement to upload some more, I have old footage of the UK going back to 1933 that my granddad took. Wasn’t going to upload anything else as I really didn’t think there was an interest, you’ve given me new hope :) I remember the old pavilion and the Ilfracombe art gallery on the right wing. The seafront certainly was kept up beautifully in the 70s.

[@northdevonpictures826]

Ilfracombe people are lovely. The town is now very, very different to your film.

[@malls886]

Show me a high street which isn’t run down!

[@ChangesOneTim]

@@malls886 As closed down shops appear in streets like Cheltenham's Promenade, you know it's got to be everywhere.

[@elliottg.1954]

Great video and thanks for showing it to us. Ilfracombe has a lot of history much of it hidden in the graveyards including the Anglican Parish Church. Anna C. Parnell is buried there and so is Simon Gage Britton MD RN, who was at Trafalgar in 1805 (the Pickle story). Unfortunately the town's grand Victorian buildings went to rack and ruin, or were destroyed by landlords.

[@a.m.3959]

Outstanding and absolutely charming. Reminds me of visiting in the early 60' and I enjoy your unobtrusive narration.

[@zagacious]

Thank you for your kind comment, most appreciated.

[@susannorthedge8584]

This is fantastic. I will watch every one of these videos. Thank you for sharing. You wil! give so .such pleasure to others. L

[@zagacious]

Thank you so much for your kind reply

[@hermanmunster3358]

This brings back memories of childhood holidays. I used to travel down from Newcastle with my mum to stay with my sister and her partner, who both worked in the Imperial, and lived in a flat directly behind the Imperial in Marine place, just off the high street via a narrow alleyway. There is another alleyway that leads from Marine place called 'the Lanes' and at the far end, there is a sports bar now, called DJ's I believe. This was originally a theatre I think, but during my time spent there, it was an indoor roller disco, where I spent a fair bit of time as a kid, and was often the only person in there, as it was out of the way of the main drag probably. I remember the old pavillion, but wasn't aware it had been demolished. I also remember the illuminated floral displays on the slopes of Lantern hill, which you could see from my sister's flat at night. For a few years there was a huge display in the shape of a butterfly, which was lit with multi coloured lights. Happy times back then, and many fond memories.

[@zagacious]

Thank you for sharing your memories, I too remember the roller disco in Ilfracombe, I think it was Mike Deakin's creation, wasn't it artificial plastic ice? but later it was made into an ordinary disco, that same building looked all a bit derelict the last time I walked down that way.

[@uksewingmachineservice7030]

Just come across this video ❤ fascinating ❤❤ subscribed to you 😊 going to look at your others now ❤❤

[@malls886]

Excellent. Loads of memories.

[@delhog6161]

Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful film with us all. I’ve never been around that area but I bet it’s not as idyllic and beautiful as it was then. I m trying to make my mind up where to retire to the south coast or Norfolk coast.

[@zagacious]

I used to live in Belton Norfolk and had a boat in Burgh Castle Marina, if you love safe boating Norfolk is definitely the best place to live, the sea on the South Coast can be treacherous, but still a beautiful place to live, I love it :)

[@delhog6161]

@@zagacious would I find a nice small place to live for £320,000 down south?

[@zagacious]

In my opinion, I would say property is more expensive down south, you do get more for your money around Norfolk but depends what you are looking for, for 320,000 you'd get a fairly nice place, depends how many boxes you need to tick :)@@delhog6161

[@123boat]

Lovely film. I’m your 500th subscriber 👍😁

[@zagacious]

Wow! a massive big thank you for being the 500th subscriber, I wasn't going to upload anymore, but now you've made my day, I feel uplifted to dig into the archives to see what other old cine I can dust off and upload, my grandad would be so pleased as he always loved to show off his cine film, he certainly wouldn't believe the technology these days.

[@123boat]

@@zagacious I’m glad I made your day. At least by uploading these films they are here for future generations. Ilfracombe is where my great grand parents we’re working and met at the Royal Britannia Hotel. I’m looking forward to looking through more of your videos soon. 👍

[@kelvinfarndell5456]

Great quality film. One or two clerical errors though. Naming day for Lloyds II in the film was September 13th 1966. The Holiday Inn (Ilfracombe Hotel) was built 1867.

[@jimlaing5688]

fantastic thanks for sharing

[@SB-yz7lk]

Very little has changed in this area just peoples holidaying expectations... i love the North Devon area..Ilfracombe gets abit of a crap wrap but it so heavily tourist weighted that there just seems to be not enough cash to give it the boost it deserves... It's such a nice area...I love the place..Woolacombe hasnt changed much apart from the rip off street parking..

[@bouncer108]

I live in Ilfracombe

[@vincentneale2620]

A real Gem film

[@mickowen3318]

i knew the pier had the centre missing in those days

[@ChangesOneTim]

Very good quality film and a fascinating study in social life. Reminds me that as recently as the early 1970s even some not-so-old folk still wore coats and hats on the beach!😄

[@lonewolfhf]

I was thinking that, everyone seemed to dress like their grandparents when they turned 30

[@mistofoles]

@2:40 - Wow, could the boat passengers have looked any less enthusiastic ??

[@mawds2k]

Fantastic

[@susanbailey7361]

Very interesting….

[@Love-combe]

Hi there, I've sent a message via email but would it be possible to use this for a film I'm making about Pedlars and Ilfracombe Retail?

[@patrickdunning9820]

What year was it filmed please, let's face it, there's a huge difference between say, 1970 and 1979, true though.

[@zagacious]

Was filmed in 1966

[@simonhanlon7518]

It can't have been 66 as the Jag at the beginning has a 1972 number plate. @@zagacious

[@simonhanlon7518]

@patrickdunning9820 The Jag at the beginning is 1972.....so I would say 72/73 from the looks of the other vehicles.

[@zagacious]

The ineugural launch of the Lloyds 2 lifeboat was in 1966, this film clip is from 1966 to the 70s, not all filmed in the same year. it's just how my granddad spliced it together.@@simonhanlon7518

[@zagacious]

The ineugural launch of the Lloyds 2 lifeboat was in 1966, this film clip is from 1966 to the 70s, not all filmed in the same year. it's just how my granddad spliced it together.

[@Makeyourselfbig]

Sitting in a deck chair fully clothed with a blanket over your knees, warm beer and early closing. Not surprising people started going to Spain.