Stevenage, 1971

Back to 1971 now, and a short promotional film for one of the first of the postwar new towns, Stevenage. Over twenty years since the town had been started and with its energy beginning to ebb away, the development corporation were keen to trumpet their successes. The seventies saw the end of the 'imperial phase' of these early new towns, as there was a 'brain drain' of talent among planners and architects to the newer towns like Milton Keynes and Cumbernauld, so it seems a good moment to explore the town at its height. And the 'youth' section of the film is pure magic.