For July, we have 3 videos from the 1950s and 1960s. The films were the work of Robert (Bobby) Aitken, owner of Aitken the Chemist’s shop in the High Street. Additional commentary has been added by Jim Herring to relate the films to local history. Thanks to Christine and Rob Aitken for donating copies of the films to the Society.
The first film below is of the Flying Scotsman going through Dunbar in the 1950s. It’s a short film, so to get the best out of it and to compare it with today’s Dunbar station and trains, you need to watch it more than once.
The second video below is of the St George Hotel in the High Street – now made into flats but retaining its distinctive white pillars at the front. The hotel chimney went on fire in 1958 and Mr Aitken filmed it. We can also see some of the shops in the High Street at the time. Note the mechanically operated fire engine at the time – no automation in 1958. As above, it’s worth viewing more than once.
The third film starts with Dunbar High Street in the 1950s and we can see many shops in the High Street which are no longer there. The commentary tries to pick out the main ones, but you might want to stop (and rewind) the video to see more shops. The second part of the video is of Aitken the Chemist’s shop in the early 1960s. You might recognise some of the people walking down the High Street.