High rise living in the 70s

[stockportyears]

Did anyone live in a tower block flat in the 70s? I spent the first eight years of my life in one, not unlike those shown here in Manchester.

It was pretty rubbish really, as there was no garden, and what playing spaces that existed were dominated by teenagers aimlessly pedalling round on their Raleigh Choppers and smoking. So really the only exercise you'd get would be in the school playground or precious trips to the park. It was also rubbish because I had to share a bedroom with my mum and my sister, the other bedroom was for my older brother who was in his teens himself and couldn't really be expected to share. I think he snores anyway lol.

Well, high rise living was rubbish, especially when the lifts broke down (luckily we were only on a fifth floor, there were poor sods ten floors up). In the late 70s, the councils decided to knock them all down and re-accommodate families in HOUSES. With GARDENS. That was fab. I only had to share with my sister for a couple of years then, and when she moved out in 1980 I got my own room. Marvellous.

Anyone else have any memories of high rise living? I think we got off lightly, there were estates far rougher than ours and some people got so depressed they committed suicide by jumping off the balconies. It was pretty claustrophobic, but then, if you're a child and don't know anything else, you just get on with it. And then when you get a HOUSE, you reckon you're living in Buckingham Palace.

[Jingbang]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

I lived in one for about 6 month but luckily the lifts never broke down, the only good things was when it Thunderd and lightning you had a really good view and also dropping waterbombs, condoms full of water, fireworks etc off the balcony onto people.

[stockportyears]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

I lived in one for about 6 month but luckily the lifts never broke down, the only good things was when it Thunderd and lightning you had a really good view and also dropping waterbombs, condoms full of water, fireworks etc off the balcony onto people.

Naughty! I think my brother let off some fireworks off the balcony when Man United got relegated.

[Marine Boy]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

What an amazing and evocative video! Well, I say evocative. I actually never lived in a high-rise, though knew people who did, and used to visit my grandmother who lived in one in the early 70s.

[branny]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

I'm not far from Kersal. I never lived in flats but had relatives who did and also used to go on my mates paper round with him. He used to deliver to high rise and the type of flats that you often see on The Bill.

[Marillion]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

The flats I grew up in were medium rise rather than high rise, and we were only on the third floor, but the building was the tower block design, with just four flats on each floor (24 flats altogether). It's said flats aren't good for children, but it didn't do us any harm.

We moved there in the late 60s when the place was brand new. There was a big car park around the side, but it was only ever half full - they'd overestimated how many car owners they'd be but underestimated how many children. So one half of the car park was turned into a playground, which was used mostly for football, but there was plenty more playing space on the grassed area around the back and the other side, or the forecourt. When the children grew up and started buying cars of their own, the playground became a car park again.

The flats were nice inside - central heating, two toilets and a well built structure - but over the years the place suffered a lot of vandalism. There was a rubbish chute, but people kept blocking it by trying to force big bags of rubbish down it so we had to take our rubbish downstairs to the main bins. We lived there for fifteen years.

[Marillion]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

I like that little film of the Kersal flats - particularly those bits with the kids. Where they wave at the camera reminds me of the closing credits of Birds of a Feather.

[kersalflats]

Re: High rise living in the 70s

Hello all. That video was from my youtube account. I also have a website dedicated to Kersal Flats where I lived from 1969-1978. It was a great place to live. Oddly it was surrounded by a huge amount of green land and the beautiful Kersal Dale. Check out the site for lots of 1960,70s, and 80s photos and videos

www.kersalflats.co.uk