Vidor Gardens - Sydenham's Mystery Street

Back

Details

Location

Belfast

Year

1964

Date

Production 12/11/1964

Length

03min 49sec

Audio

sound

Format

16mm

black and white

Source

Funded by the Broadcast Authority of Ireland under the Archiving Scheme 2

Courtesy

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Department for Communities, ITV, UTV Archive

Rights Holder

ITV

It is illegal to download, copy, print or otherwise utilise in any other form this material, without written consent from the copyright holder.

Description

Maurice Smyth reports from Sydenham in East Belfast about a mysterious street. He finds Vidor Gardens as a project which has been left half constructed and where the residents who have moved into the completed houses have to contend with an unfinished road and footpaths. The air of mystery is shrouded in the fact that no street signs have ever been put up. This has left taxi drivers unable to find the place and residents having to stand outside on nearby streets to guide in doctors on housecalls. Smyth speaks to resident Mrs Boyd about the confusion. 

It is not mentioned in the report but a further complication was that Vidor Gardens was built at the end of Victoria Drive. In effect, it was one continuous street, but divided in two, with one of the two parts having no signage. In the years to come, while signage was erected, a third street would be built even beyond Vidor Gardens - named Vidor Court - to make three streets in one, all running into each other.

Dear reader, I live in Vidor Gardens today and can testify that taxi drivers can still never find the place.

Credits

An Ulster Television Production.
×

Please scroll to review and accept our terms and conditions (last updated on ) before viewing the moving images content.

To remember your terms and conditions acceptance, you can register as a site member or allow cookies on your browser.