Skateboarding in Portsmouth

Enjoy a nostalgic look back at the 70s with this film made by George Sloane featuring Southsea's newly opened skateboard park

We start with a shot of Southsea's Skatepark, located on Clarence Esplanade, before moving inside where we see lots of eager youngsters practising on their skateboards. Almost all are wearing protective headgear and knee pads. The skateboarders ride up and down the many convoluted ramps as well as the large bowl, while being watched over by marshalls.

This film features Southsea's Skate Park in its first year of operation. It was built on an existing roller skating rink which had been operating since the 1930s. At the height of the skateboarding craze in the late 1970s the local authority created a number of pits and runs for the skateboarders to use. Run today by a charity, the Southsea Skatepark Company, the Skate Park is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary.