Memories of old shops as rare TV advert found
Many shops featured no longer exist, but it’s an interesting bit of local history. John Baumgartner, who found the tape
A RARE TV advert aired in the 1980s that tried to attract shoppers to Swadlincote has been unearthed.
The ad, thought to have been on TV around 1984, takes viewers on a tour of the town centre in stills.
Lasting less than 20 seconds, it is full of flashing text that pops up to showcase Swadlincote’s free parking and late-night Christmas shopping.
Among the plethora of shops Swaddies have loved and lost that feature in the clip are Gladys Gowns and jeweller HB Dinnis.
If you look carefully in the top right of our main image, you can just make out the HB Dinnis sign.
Among the features of the town centre highlighted by the narrator of the ad are the pedestrianised town centre, which “makes you feel at ease”, and “the atmosphere of our outdoor market”.
It is not known which channel the ad aired on, but it was thought to have been screened on ITV Central.
The footage was found by South Derbyshire man John Baumgartner, who was having a clear out when he stumbled across an old VHS tape.
He said: “I’m having my house decorated and had to move a lot of stuff. I came across the tape and wanted to take another look at the advert, in particular.
“I then thought maybe many people didn’t see it, so I’d share a little media from Swadlincote’s past.
“As to the channel, it would have been ITV Central or Channel 4. Channel 5 wasn’t there yet and BBC don’t show ads, of course.
“I even rewound the video to check, but there’s no information as to which channel ran the ad.
“Many shops featured on the ad no longer exist, but it’s an interesting bit of local history.”
You can watch the advert on our website.