Tom Bancroft

I was talking to an old pal the other day who used to work in the same office as June Ritchie when she was a clerk at the Manchester Ship Canal Company's offices in King Street, Manchester. At that time (late 50's) she was involved in amateur dramatics with a Stretford Amateur Society. This revived memories of A Kind of Loving the film and also the TV version and I refreshed my memory by reading the details on Britmovie and also on IMDb. I notice that your details of the film state that Vic was a 'Lancashire Lad'. However, reading a synopsis of the TV version on IMDb they state he's the son of a Yorkshire miner. Were Vic's origins changed for the TV version or was the movie in error. Which was true to the novel by Barstow? I seem to remember that much of the film was shot around the Greater Manchester area.

"I want to be a sailor - sailing out to sea"

batman

A chap I used to work with years ago is in AKOL. They used the factory where he worked as a location for the film .... he can been seen sitting behind the two leads on a bus.

I wish I had claws.

scholes

It was shot in Bolton. I think they filmed a scene showing matchday at Burnden Park.
Whilst I have read the book, I recall it mentioned life in the West Riding of Yorkshire, from where Barstow himself was brought up. I can't recall his Father's job description but I suspect the TV adaption is probably closer to the mark.

batman

There is some more info here .... from 'Reel Streets'

Kind of Loving, A 1962Alan Bates, June Ritchie, Thora HirdBeswick, Blackburn, Bolton, Preston, Burnley?, Radcliffe, Manchester, Irwell Valley, Ealing?, Brentford?, Carnforth?, LancashireDirector : John Schlesinger Production Company : Vic Films Productions Limited.

A young man, inching his way up from working-class traditions via a white-collar job, finds himself trapped by the frightening reality of his girlfriend's pregnancy and is forced into marrying her and moving in with his mother-in-law due to a housing shortage in their Northern England town.

My name is Simon Hopes residing in Manchester about 3 miles from where a lot of the film A Taste of Honey was shot. Mostly filmed in Manchester are all predominately taken in the Miles Platting which is right on the edge of the city centre hemmed in by the city and the areas of Clayton and Beswick. I've discovered quite a few that are still there and I hope to take some "now" stills very soon.
Just to start the ball rolling the shot toho11c was filmed on Cambrian Street off Ashton new road and is [at the moment], untouched from the days of filming.
A lot of the canal scenes attributed to the ship canal on the stills aren't the ship canal at all. They were filmed on the canal that runs through the above districts. Most were filled in during the 60's, but incredibally have been re-opened in the last few years and are [of course] on the same route. If you look closely you can see the differance on some shots because the canal is only so wide and not capable of fitting a ship on.
The gasommeters on the stills were located on Bradford Road in Miles Platting on land very close to where Manchester City's new City of Manchester stadium is now. Only one survives, the others [the taller ones] were demolished in the mid 90's.
This area was also used to film scenes in "A Kind of Loving" - the scene wear Vic runs away from his sister's new house to be with Ingrid [I think], the 60's maisonette where it was filmed is still there, minus it's top floor and the mill in the background with a castellated tower is the only one of originally 4 that was not burned to the ground,[I should know, I'm a fireman].
Like I say, soon when I have leave, I'll take some shots and send them in.
One last thing,so little has changed in parts of the area that "Life on Mars", the 1970's themed drama, was filmed in certain locations that were also used on "A Taste of Honey".

These pictures are probably in Preston, Bolton or Blackburn with the Miller Arcade, Preston - then and now

I wish I had claws.

scholes

Well done caped crusader.
Very interesting stuff. There's no doubt about it you can't beat a good kitchen sinker!

dylan

The novel was set in the mining town of "Cressley" based on Dewsbury in West Yorkshire.

D.