Liverpool boasts a fascinating culture and history - and through the years a lot of our memories have luckily been preserved on film.
Before the days of smartphones and video-led apps like TikTok and YouTube, families and professionals would have to carry round heavy equipment to capture everything from day to day life, to family holidays, events and more. But the effort was worth it as it continues to spark fond memories for people who remember life in Merseyside in years gone by.
For decades, renowned film maker Angus Tilston MBE, originally from Prenton, was regularly spotted with his camera filming events across the region. After getting his first cine camera as a teenager, he turned his passion into a business in later life.
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Angus died in 2019 at the age of 86 and was described by many as "an old fashioned gentleman." His legacy lives on in his footage and his daughter Nicki Wilkinson wants to "keep his memory alive" by continuing to share his work.
As part of the Liverpool ECHO's How It Used To Be series, we spoke to Nicki about her dad's historic film footage and how it captures Merseyside "evolving" through the generations. Nicki, 61, told the ECHO: "When he was a teenager his father gave him a cine camera and he started to make movie films.
"He enjoyed the cine side of it because he liked the fact that it wasn't just an ordinary photograph, it was moving pictures and you could record everything. As he got a bit older he was conscripted into the RAF because in those days you had to do National Service, that was in the 50s.
"He went into the RAF and he took quite a lot of film when he was based in Germany. He came back and he worked for Lever Brothers in Port Sunlight where he met a couple of friends who he worked with who were also interested in film making. They got together and they started a club called Swan Cine Club which was named after Swan Hill where my dad was born and raised.
"That went from strength to strength. They all started making amateur films while they were continuing to work at Lever Brothers."
Growing up, the family home was always full of Angus' reels of film tape. In the days before you would seek permission to film groups at events, Angus captured a more "natural" side of life on Merseyside.
Nicki said: "He was into 9.5mm film, that specific type of film and camera that he used. Everywhere we went he would take his camera whether it was a holiday or a day out and film and I think it was a lot easier in those days because there was no data protection.
"He didn't have to ask permission he would just take his camera and film wherever he was. People’s faces would show on it and it didn't matter because that added to the character of it, you'd see people going about their daily business.
"Whereas these days you have to be more careful that people aren't shared without warning. It was more natural really I think."
Through the years, we've seen technology develop to the point where filming is more accessible on our smart phones. New apps have also meant anyone can edit their own montages and share them instantly with friends, with many more people opting for shorter clips to watch.
Years ago, Angus would head to fairs with other film enthusiasts for local film and equipment to help add to his mass collection. Word later spread and people would donate their footage in house clearances or when relatives passed away.
A few decades later, Angus retired and decided to start editing all the different films together, producing them as videos in the 80s and 90s and later DVD. Nicki said: "Swan Cine Club is still going to this day but it’s changed dramatically because people don't use cine film any more, it’s digital now.
"He was meticulous in what he did. He was one of those people who could get on with everybody.
"My personal favourite is the film he made of the Garden Festival in 1984. It was such an unusual event and I don't think there’s a lot recorded about that event."
Built on a landfill site, the International Garden Festival was created with intention of regenerating Liverpool in the aftermath of the Toxteth Riots in July 1981. The Liverpool International Garden Festival was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on May 2, 1984.
Angus' charming colour film shows everything from performers and guests to children having fun on the now lost Blue Peter dragon. A trip back in time, many will reminisce of what Liverpool was like at the time, or may be able to spot a familiar face.
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Angus Tilston was awarded an MBE in 2009 in recognition for his services to the historical film industry in the North West, a day which he shared with his wife Ena. In his career, Angus also made a full length film of Liverpool in the 60s which was narrated by the late Sir Ken Dodd.
After Angus died, Nicki decided her dad's extensive cinematic legacy needed to be preserved and donated his collection to the North West Film Archive to be looked after and preserved. Nicki said: "When he passed away, the whole garage and spare bedroom and everything was crammed full of old film, so I contacted the North West Film Archives and they have now got the majority of the films that he collected for safe keeping and they're preserving it so that it’s available for future generations - so they can see the local history and how the area developed over more than a century ago."
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In recent years, Nicki noticed people sharing clips of her dad's footage online and decided to share them herself as she doesn't want "the memory of her dad to be forgotten." She has since created her own Facebook page, Merseyside Through Angus's Eye.
Nicki told the ECHO: "I called it Merseyside Through Angus's Eye because in those days when you filmed you had a cine camera and looked through the one lens, whereas today you look through a screen on your phone. It is quite rare film.
"Some of the clips are his film, like for example the old garden festival in 1984. But then there’s other clips that was filmed even before he was born and that sort of thing would just be forgotten about.
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"With him being a manager at Lever Brothers he also did quite a lot of filming in Port Sunlight and Wirral, Liverpool - he was just a big fan of Merseyside in general really. He did some film of Chester too but Merseyside was where his heart was."
To visit Merseyside Through Angus's Eye on Facebook, click here.
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