1964 Battersea Fun Fair Newsreel Footage

[porterm]

I caught this on YouTube; http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqVehU8d ... re=related

As this was my first local "playground" it holds very dear memories for me, especially the Water Chute, that I only fairly recently learnt ended up at Dreamland in 1977. Ironically that was also the first year I ever visited that park too and got to ride my first Scenic (my Mum seemed to think the old Big Dipper at Battersea was unsafe). Sadly in 1972 she was proved right with its well publicised fatal accident killing five people.

Maybe this could prove some good inspiration for the pending book on Battersea Fun Fair which I read about a few years ago.

I thought it was great fun catching the celebrities of the day on this film.

Martin

[EAS]

Oh those hair styles - the backcombing, the laquer... the fear of it raining!

Here's the same event, different year (1962):

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gUDfOVO2NMI


A few shots of Battersea here too:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3zwl_hsceLA

The Big Dipper used to be at Southport Pleasureland I believe.

[porterm]

Hi EAS,

Yes, it's amazing what you can find posted on YouTube these days! (love watching old film clips)

I believe you're right about Battersea's Big Dipper; according to the great Pleasureland Memories book it states that, the then, Scenic Railway was relocated from the park in 1946 from Sutton Park. It was rebuilt as the Big Dipper at Battersea Funfair in 1951, the Festival of Britain year. So history appeared to go somewhat "full circle" for me here as I lived in London as a child and didn't make my first visit to Pleasureland until 1993.

Martin

[Greg Pryce]

Great bit of Film Martin,
I never got to go to Battersea unfortunately, wish I had!
A friend of mine said he used to ride John Collins Big Dipper almost every day and says you never heard the safety 'Ratchet' when going up the lift-hills! Such a shame.
I too read about the Book and hope it does materialise as I think it would be very interesting.
As for the water Chute, what a great ride.If my memory serves me right, it got a bit 'Fire Damaged' at Battersea before going to Dreamland.
Good footage of it and some other parts of Battersea in Peter Sellers Film 'The Wrong Arm of the Law'.
All the Best ,
Greg