13 vivid colour snapshots of a typical English high street in the 1960s
Vintage cars on Roman roads – welcome to Chichester more than 50 years ago.
Postwar redevelopment destroyed a lot of heritage in Britain’s towns, but the city centre of Chichester retained much of its Georgian charm.
1. A West Sussex landmark, the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity stands proud against the skyline.
2. The Chichester Cross is another iconic site. Built in 1501, it serves as the centrepiece to the four principal streets surrounding it. In 1962 it served as a roundabout, but now it is much more pedestrianised.
3. Another view of the market cross, complete with 1960s flour power.
4. But a real sign of the times is the quintessential 60s scooter dashing down South Street.
5. A view looking out towards West Street.
6. Much of the film takes place on North Street, demonstrating the range of shops and services among the Georgian buildings.
7. The high street here is as bustling as any other.
8. Cutting through the crowd, some local children wave to the camera as they speed past on their bicycles.
9. The Ship Hotel still stands in the exact same spot, but has since been renamed Chichester Harbour Hotel.
10. This wine merchants is in a Grade II-listed building that’s been around since 1780.
11. On some parts of the street, it’s easy to spot shops that are now a common sight across the whole of Britain.
12. Although the front has been given a fresh lick of paint, the W.H. Smith on North Street is still in the same old spot today.
13. Finally, we look back down towards the Chichester Cross. The top of the cathedral can just be spotted poking over the top of the vibrant buildings.
The film and stills on this page are taken from Britain on Film, a digital archive of UK places that mean the world to you. 10,000 film and TV titles from 1895 to now will be digitised and can be watched for free on BFI Player.
Britain on Film is funded by the National Lottery funding and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive’s collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
