What was it like growing up as a teenager on the Clacton coast?

Between December 2019 and March 2020 we met people of all ages in cafes, pubs, markets and clubs across the district to collect your memories and photographs of being young.

Being a teenager wherever you are, is a time for new experiences, self-discovery, and growing independence. You have shared with us your first loves, first motorbikes, cars, apprenticeships and Saturday hobs. We have heard about youthful adventures, passions and creative endeavours, enduring friendships, family ties and strong community spirit.

Unique to Clacton, we have discovered that teenagers here have had access to amazing new music: the local jukeboxes were filled with imported records; venues like the Toen Hall hosted iconic bands and international DJs played the pier; the pirate radio stations broadcast off the coast, and rockstars captivated audiences at Weeley Festival. You had space and freedom to explore the piers and amusements and roam the wide open fields, beaches and coastline. The summer brought you holidaymakers, new fashion and styles, the carnival and the seasonal jobs. In the winter months you hung out at Butlins social club, participated in youth theatre and danced at the clubs.

All these photos and memories will live on in the Museum of Youth Culture and add to a photograph archive of over 150,000 images by over 400 professional photographers. MoYC is a  non-profit working to preserve, share and celebrate youth culture and heritage to inspire future generations.

Grown Up in Clacton was the first stop in our Grown Up in Britain campaign, a national project to find out from the public what it was like to be a teenager over the last 100 years and to ensure that our collections are representative of the the UKs diverse youth culture.