Ronan Point on film

Here's a couple of newsreels from the late 60s following the Ronan Point collapse in Newham, May 1968, in which four people died. The first is a report on how the borough had changed all of their tower blocks over from gas to electricity following the gas explosion that triggered the collapse.





The second film is unused footage of residents leaving Merritt Point, one of Ronan Point's neighbours. Shot in 1969 this was to allow safety checks and stengthening work. You can see the now scaffolded up Ronan Point in these shots. Amazingly, not only did residents move back into Merritt Point, they also returned to Ronan Point, though it was eventually demolished and the rubble used beneath the runway at City Airport.