New Town from Old (1962) | Hemel Hempstead Promotional Film |

Starting with shots of the old town and it's heritage, the film then focuses on the development, started in 1950, of a number of new neighbourhoods built around the town each with their own shops, new churches, community centres and pubs to house the thousands of people who had moved from London. We're taken on a tour of the first new town neighbourhood, Adeyfield and the Queen's Square and on to Bennetts End, Chaulden, Warner's End and Gadebridge.
The focus is on the facilities, lanscaping and choice of accommodation from bedsits to townhouses and the wide variety of architectural design. The commentary explains "a terrace, ending in a group of corner flats, an example of the ingenuity with which architects have designed buildings to turn corners"........
The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.

[@hemeljohn1]

This used to be the perfect, model town when it was built.

[@Lee-ox2xt]

Oh do behave you live in cloud cuckoo land I'd rather have grown up in west ham

[@lovemussb1940]

I’ve lived here all my life,I’d love to see an updated video of Hemel now !! It’d be like the scene in back to the future 2 when marti arrives in hill valley in biffs parallel world!

[@London1064]

We moved to Hemel from London in the sixties. I wish Hemel was still as good today as it was then.

[@hymatwat9412]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6GmnKJjodV3fpY

[@markmywords312]

The pedestrianised centre has taken the soul out of the town. It's just not accessible. Like all pedestrianised town centres you have to pay for parking ie pay to use the town, yet it's free to park in the out of town shopping parks. Madness

[@hymatwat9412]

markmywords312 idiot

[@maccagrabme]

Must admit, it looks pretty bad now compared to back then when it looked so nice. Its been underfunded and overdeveloped, most of the money has gone on roundabouts.

[@ZeldaFitz]

@@maccagrabme If families didn’t insist on owning 3 cars then there wouldn’t be a need for roundabouts and mass car parks. your not in traffic, you are traffic.

[@devilsforkdigital1490]

Thanks for this! Grew up and lived there from 1964-88, still recognize some of those shops. The Wimpy!

[@gailsokol7832]

lovely to watch many memories

[@woodycfc3429]

My home town I was born in 1965 great seeing it we were hemel Punks & the 2nd generation Adeyfield lot I moved out about 9 years ago and will never go back by choice.

[@Naughtybaz]

The dream. Became a nightmare.

[@geraldwright905]

I'm sure the people of the small town called Hemel Hempstead were so pleased that thousands of Londoners were moving in to take over their lovely little shire town, not

[@colinhazell6259]

I lived there from1963 to 1982 having spent my first 9 years in Hatfield - attended South Hill primary school and Highfield secondary school and Dacorum college it brought back many memories!

[@kingsley_faz4102]

Oh how Hemel has changed :(

[@thornbird6768]

I like the 60’s and 70’s architecture 👍🏻 it was crisp and clean looking , one thing lacking in new developments. are the lovely flower beds they had back then .

[@stevealexR1]

I agree! When you look at Contemporary and Brutalist architecture in films of the era, the then new buildings looked so fresh and clean cut. Unfortunately the concrete didn’t weather well so the buildings usually ended up looking grubby and unkempt.

[@michaelroberts7374]

The 3 storey car park is a motif for such new town architecture. Fascinating film

[@skwijit]

grew up here, sad how much it has changed :(

[@GypsyHunter232UK]

Still here and it's no better now than was then.

[@therealgraeme]

Oh my, look at the little car traffic and ample parking space in roads and shopping centres! Damn, it is the polar opposite now. :-( Thanks for sharing though, it's fantastic to see such history. I'm only living in Hemel Hempstead for 7 years now, and loving it. Though it seems back in the 60's it would have been even nicer - not so cramped.

[@bill53uk]

lived hear all my life and it has changed soo much you would not reconise it now. i am in my 70,s now and its not very nice to live

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

You're right. The amount of rubbish around the streets of Hemel is UNBELIEVABLE. What a dump. How sad to see these old film reels. :(

[@bill53uk]

@@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293 born in 1953 when we had 2 hospitals and a good market and a railway that ran through the town. Look at it now, no hospital no market and a stupid town centre

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

@@bill53uk Once again, you're 100% bang on. I just wonder what it is that's made the recent generations of residents and new arrivals to the town-- kids, teens and adults alike-- feel so remorseless about littering. I lose count of the individual items of discarded rubbish when I go on my perambulations around Hemel. Literally, I just raise my gaze from ground level because by 100 yards into my stroll I've already forgotten what number I was up to. Isn't that a tragedy? And isn't it a great mystery too? You'd think with all this talk about 'saving the planet' kids and adults alike would have evolved in their attitudes, not degenerated so disgracefully. :(

[@vanessaboman8143]

My hometown

[@batch6792]

Now thats a familiar name.

[@eddiesven]

Now where did I put my rose tinted specs?No mention in those days of the magic roundabout!

[@thornbird6768]

How nice and new and well kept our country was back in the day 🤬 the estate I grew up on looked very similar to Hemel Hempstead , now it’s a dump !! full of people who don’t work and don’t care !! Sad 😢

[@colewells4254]

Aptly put full of scumbags now

[@lugash4]

Born (1961 at home)and bred and still here......lost it's identity many years ago but still some interesting and delightful places about the area.

[@leoroverman4541]

One of the schools not mentioned was Heath Brow, in Heath lane 1963 was the year I left. My Aunt and Uncle lived in Adeyfield.

[@johnrowland3105]

.....but watch out for your council who one way or another will bleed it dry and make it uninhabitable.

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

You said it.

[@martinoconnor1484]

Been living here from birth early 80s I remember quite abit from the video things have changed not for the better tho all pound shops takeaways now bring back the 80s

[@paianis]

10:18 This was all demolished to make way for the Marlowes Shopping Centre in the late 80s.

[@trudilouise9368]

Most of the town centre long demolished. All fur coat and no knickers.

[@Drugov78]

I was born there in 1987 and never came back since then 😂

[@anathema2me4EVR]

Where was the building at 1.13?

[@vanessaboman8143]

Huh! Where's highfield??

[@paianis]

Unfortunately many of the modern buildings were not as visually appealing, particularly in the long run, as they should have been.

[@owenz1945]

the housing still looks the same, the town center has changes a bit you cant drive on the high street because that's where the market is now and there are shops and a shopping center lining it. the old market square hosts the occasional meeting of some sort and there are lots more cars. but it still looks nicer back then... If only

[@fredflintstoner596]

Mrs Richards: " I paid for a room with a view!" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window ? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment ?

[@freddiegreen6760]

Bennett’s end❤️

[@CharlieDadd]

Freddie Green that’s my g

[@freddiegreen6760]

Charlie that’s my g

[@johnobrien8398]

I bet it’s full of STANS now all chanting fucking Islam

[@chairmakerPete]

Interesting to see the slum architecture when it was new. They must have realised they'd goofed badly straight away. Town planning is a disaster.

[@hymatwat9412]

Seen too much bad stuff re Hemel

[@hymatwat9412]

Stevenage better