BBC Rewind: 'Desolate' King's Lynn rejected by Londoners

A BBC TV report from 1964 explains how a small town tried but failed to convince city-dwellers to settle there.

There were plans to industrialise parts of the country and encourage people to relocate by offering jobs and attractive mortgage deals.

But when about 300 people from Lambeth in London tried a new life in King's Lynn, Norfolk, most decided it was not for them.

Their complaints included a lack of entertainment, job prospects and narrow pavements, while one described the town as "desolate, isolated and without opportunity".

Much more archive footage can be found on BBC Rewind.

  • Norfolk