IT IS like taking a trip back through time.

Fascinating footage of Southampton from 1993 and 1994 has been generating a buzz on video website YouTube.

The videos have been uploaded by Glen Harfield, a 35-year-old now living in Didcot but born and raised in Southampton.

They were filmed using a camcorder by his grandparents George and Joyce Harfield and were personal tours of the city for his grandfather’s brother Bryon, who lives in Vancouver, Canada.

His grandparents, who have since passed away, managed to capture the former Pirelli site in West Quay Road, the Ocean Village shopping centre in all its glory, Southampton High Street before it was semi-pedestrianised north of East Street.

Viewers can also catch a glimpse of the former Southern Daily Echo offices before its move to Newspaper House in Redbridge in 1997. The former site is now home to WestQuay shopping centre.

The films have notched up thousands of views since they were uploaded to Glen’s PlacesIveVisited channel.

He said: “Granddad George bought his camcorder to film family events and holidays, but also enjoyed filming the birds in his garden through the windows of their bungalow in West End.

“He and my granny made some video tours of Southampton in 1993 and 1994 to send to his brother Bryon in Vancouver, who emigrated there with his wife when they were younger.

“I found the videos on their camcorder and uploaded it to a computer. I edited them and thought I would share them.

“Overall, the videos have had a pretty good reaction. One guy said he doesn’t like Southampton but most people like it.”

Glen, who now lives with wife Donnya, admits to recreating the steps his grandparents took in the video to see how much the city has changed.

Before moving to Didcot, Glen lived across the city and has fond memories of Ocean Village.

He added: “I can remember going to Canute’s Pavilion at Ocean Village often with my college mates.

“We went into Schooners Bar. I enjoyed going to the old fashioned games arcade downstairs in Canute’s Pavilion. There were games of skill in there, which you had to shoot balls into holes to win chocolate bars.”

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