New Towns for Old
Date: 1942
Director: John Eldridge
Production Company: Ministry of Information, Strand Films
Stars: Script by Dylan Thomas
Location(s): Yorkshire
Region(s): North
Storyline:
A wartime public information film produced during the darkest days of World War ll. Scripted by Dylan Thomas, it features two civil servants touring the films City of ‘Smokedale’ (Actually Sheffield) revealing the significant changes that can be made to the lives of everyone brought about by slum clearance and improved town planning, not least consequent to German bombs, particularly once the war ends.
Additional Information:
Screen captures and text uploaded by Richard Lovejoy
The film New Towns for Old is free to view at on BFI Player by clicking here.
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We are aware that there are films on the site that were added when the criteria for the inclusion of locations was very different from today and, as a result, there may be scenes missing from some productions. Please do not forward additional screen captures to us but bring the detail to our attention, for we do, and are, 're-addressing' these older entries as time allows.
- Capture 1
- 'Now' required
Behind the opening film title are the Tinsley Towers, once attached to the Blackburn Meadows Power Station and eventually demolished in 2008
- Capture 2
- 'Now' required
The film itself opens with a general view over Sheffield.
- Capture 3
- 'Now' required
Followed by the River Don backed by a steam train and a factory with chimneys. Unidentified location.
- Capture 4
- 'Now' required
The two Civil Servants overlook a scene of housing and industry. Unidentified location.
- Capture 5
- 26 Feb 2026
“Half a million people live there, a town of steel”. St John’s Park Church, Bernard Street, S2 in the background.
Wasn't going to hang around for the clock hands to match. NW
- Capture 6
- 'Now' required
A factory with a steam engine and chimneys. Unidentified location.
- Capture 7
- 'Now' required
After blurred industrial activity a steam engine marked ‘L.S.C. Ltd’ and numbered 13, passes in front of the camera. Could this be the Arthur Lee & Sons Ltd Crown Steel Works, Bessemer Road, Sheffield 9?
- Capture 8
- 'Now' required
“Don’t forget there’s folk living just like this in most other big towns”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 9
- 'Now' required
“Look at that, that’s wrong”. What’s wrong? Unidentified location.
- Capture 10
- 'Now' required
“The houses are fit to live in aren’t they? They are not condemned are they?” The sign at the end of the road reads “J H Sims Garage”. There was a J H Sims, Motor Coaches at Old Hall Road (Attercliffe), a connection?
- Capture 11
- 'Now' required
“You can’t say they aren’t happy”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 12
- 'Now' required
“But they shouldn’t be here. Lad’s shouldn’t have to play in a place like this”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 13
- 'Now' required
“They shouldn’t have to grow up in soot and muck….what can they hope for?”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 14
- 'Now' required
“All the cities have their slums”. “Ah, now this is much better”. Could this be Bard Street?
- Capture 15
- 'Now' required
“But look at them works right on top of them”. The bottom of Bard Street?
- Capture 16
- 'Now' required
“But you can’t move a town about like that.” There was a Cleansing Station in Plum Lane and on Penistone Road so this could be near either one of those.
- Capture 17
- 'Now' required
“Can’t we?” “No” “Bomb damage?” “No, pulled it down ourselves”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 18
- 'Now' required
“It all started about 20 years ago”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 19
- 'Now' required
“We got a new council in". Pinstone Street looking north.
- Capture 20
- 26 Feb 2026
“Just scraped in, but they decided to clean up town”. Sheffield Town Hall, Pinstone Street, S1 as seen from the north.
View through the uncloaked trees. NW
- Capture 21
- 'Now' required
“Up to this war we had 26,000 slum houses condemned”. Does that church help identify the spot?
- Capture 22
- 'Now' required
“And 14,000 we had already got rid of”. Needhams Free Beer Stores. Unidentified location.
- Capture 23
- 'Now' required
“And Hitler knocked us a few more down”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 24
- 'Now' required
Unidentified location.
- Capture 25
- 'Now' required
Duke Street, S2 has been suggested.
- Capture 26
- 26 Feb 2026
Fargate, S1 looking north towards the former Sheffield Telegraph and Star Building.
Only human traffic now. NW
- Capture 27
- 'Now' required
Could this also be Duke Street and the same tram as that seen in Capture 25?
- Capture 28
- 'Now' required
“But you can’t knock down houses without building new ones. And we built 30,000 new houses” This could have been taken from the same location as the following capture.
- Capture 29
- 26 Feb 2026
“Right away from works”. East Bank Road looking north from Eastern Avenue, S2.
City illuminated. NW
- Capture 30
- 26 Feb 2026
“Right away from soot and muck.” East Bank Road, looking east from Eastern Avenue.
Muck maybe, definitely no soot. NW
- Capture 31
- 'Now' required
Unidentified location.
- Capture 32
- 'Now' required
“What are you going to do with the places you have cleared, you still got factories left in them.” “There’s one there”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 33
- 'Now' required
“And there is a row of houses”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 34
- 26 Feb 2026
“New flats”. Edward Street Flats, S3
Hung out to dry. NW
- Capture 35
- 'Now' required
“New homes away from smoke”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 36
- 'Now' required
"Away where they should be”. Unidentified location.
- Capture 37
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“We haven’t built just anywhere, we have kept Green Belt.” A man who knows his hills, Neil Webster has identified this as 'Carl Wark', a rocky promontory on Hathersage Moor, just inside the boundary of Sheffield. He believes that it could here, be viewed from Burbage South Edge.
- Capture 38
- 'Now' required
“Aye, and new schools”. Shirecliffe Council School, Penrith Road, S5. Opened in 1939, Graham Kelly advises that the school was demolished between 2008 and 2010.
- Capture 39
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“New hospitals”. Unidentified location. Distinct similarity to Capture 45.
- Capture 40
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“New roads” Unidentified location.
- Capture 41
- 'Now' required
"New life”. 256 Eastern Avenue, Sheffield S2
- Capture 42
- 26 Feb 2026
City Hall, Barkers Pool, S1. Officially opened 22 September 1932
One of the twin fountains constructed in 2006. NW
- Capture 43
- 'Now' required
Another school. High Storrs School, High Storrs Road, S11. Grade ll listed. Relocated to this Site in 1933.
- Capture 44
- 26 Feb 2026
Surrey Street, S1 looking north with the white Sheffield Central Library on the brow of the hill. Work began on 1929 and was formally opened in 1934.
At time of writing, no decision has been made on the future of the crumbling Graves Building (Central Library). NW
- Capture 45
- 'Now' required
Distinct similarity to Capture 39 but unidentified location.
- Capture 46
- 26 Feb 2026
Edward Street Flats, Sheffield, S3 built in 1934 and extended in 1943
Central play area. NW
- Capture 47
- 'Now' required
“But war put a stop to all this, just for a time". The extent to which the Edward Street Flats has been built in 1942
- Capture 48
- 'Now' required
“But when this war is won we have got to build all our big town”. Which church is that top center?
- Capture 49
- 'Now' required
"Who’s going to make sure they don’t stay, just plans?” …..“They are!”