This film is part of Free
Along Father Thames to Shepperton
Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.
Overview
A pleasure boat takes us up the Thames from Canbury Gardens, below Kingston, Surrey, to Shepperton, showing the grand houses fronting on to the river and houseboats of the well-to-do. Includes well-known beauty spots such as Molesey, David Garrick’s House and Fred Karno's rarely-filmed 'Karsino' of Tagg’s Island.
Based on a successful magazine, the film series Wonderful London captures the life of the capital in the 1920s. These simple travelogues contrast different aspects of city life; East End and West End, poor and rich, natives and immigrants, looking beyond the stereotypes to show surprising views of the city. The BFI National Archive restored six films in the series in 2012, reintroducing the films' original colours and adding new piano accompaniments by John Sweeney.
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