Turnstone column: John Maiden discusses how a nostalgic film reminds him of Hunstanton many years ago
In his weekly Turnstone column, writer John Maiden discusses how a nostalgic film reminds him of Hunstanton many years ago…
Although I have "Barnacle Bill" on a DVD, I must confess that I rarely miss the opportunity to watch the 1957 Ealing Comedy whenever it is repeated on television.
This is usually on Talking Pictures TV, but last week - and the week before - it was on Film 4. I missed the first showing, but not the second.
The main reason for my fascination with this fairly average movie is because it takes me back to a time when Hunstanton still retained much of its character.
The dilapidated appearance of the pier, which was the real star of the show, served as a warning of what would become of the pier itself and many other prominent buildings and amenities throughout the following years.
Regular readers of this column will know exactly what these assets were and why they are still sadly missed, especially by people of my generation, but also by visitors to the Hunstanton Society's Heritage Centre, housed in the former NatWest Bank.
The fact that Hunstanton now has two 'former' bank buildings shows how times have changed since the 1950's.
Another example is depicted in the film, when Capt Ambrose, played by Alec Guinness points out to the police that the penny slot machines located at the pier entrance should not be treated as gambling devices.
The Captain won this particular argument, but is the world really a better place since the 1960 Gambling Act paved the way for various forms of gambling addiction on a frightening scale?
Meanwhile, at a local level, I am still waiting for truthful answers to questions raised under the government's Freedom of Information Act.
Sandcastle - as Hunstanton became for the filming of Barnacle Bill - was a hotbed of corruption, but with each year that passes, I become more certain than ever that 'whistle-blowers' are just as unwelcome in Hunstanton as they were in Sandcastle.
