A SLICE of Reading’s past is now available thanks to a new BBC service, launched to mark the corporation’s centenary.
Footage from news broadcasts and documentaries have been uploaded to BBC Rewind, a new archive site featuring audio-visual recordings that reflect life and events from across the decades.
So far, more than 30,000 pieces have been uploaded to the site, with the oldest material dating back to the late 1940s.
In Reading, that includes an election report from 1959, which revealed it was a marginal constituency. When the votes were counted Labour’s Ian Mikardo was ousted by Peter Emery. The report was presented by Leonard Parkin, who would go on to find fame as ITN’s lunchtime newscaster.
A 1972 clip shows high angle views of Reading as it was back then, while there is an introduction to a 1984 edition of Antiques Roadshow, hosted by Hugh Scully and broadcast from The Hexagon.
A 1987 report from Smelly Alley showed how alligator meat was being sold from Frosts the fishmonger. Reporter John Andrews said it tasted a bit like pork and veal.
And there are more reports from across Berkshire, including two features on the Road Research Laboratory at Crowthorne. One is a visit by Barbara Castle in 1967.
A more recent video from Sonning looks at the pranksters who placed a front door on Sonning bridge in 2016, and there is a video of South Hill Park’s recital room from 1975.
The BBC says its Rewind site containing many emotional and powerful stories, many of which have not been seen since their original broadcast.
Visitors to the site will have the ability to search for recordings from their locations and can use an interactive map to narrow down content to street level.
And while reports are not subtitled, an automated transcript can be accessed, along with details such as who is featured in the extract, the date of the original broadcast, and the location where it was filmed.
James Stirling, Executive Editor BBC 100, says: “As we celebrate 100 years of the BBC, we’re opening up our unique and deeply valuable archive, an important part of the nation’s collective memory.
“By breathing new life into stories which have laid dormant for years, audiences will be able to discover recordings which can help us all learn more about who we are and where we’re from.”
The new BBC Rewind website is available at www.bbc.co.uk/rewind
