This film is part of Free
Rural life in the Essex villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield - and the mixed reactions of older residents to changing times.
Travelogue 1937 12 mins
The Essex villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield represent the idyllic English village of popular cliché in this film, aimed chiefly at the overseas tourist market of the 1930s. The charm is backed up by an informative commentary laden with intriguing detail and enhanced by Benjamin Britten’s music, which evokes the joys of maypole dancing.
Documentary 1978 49 mins
Orkney evoked through poetry, the sounds of nature, and the music of Peter Maxwell Davies.
Non-Fiction 1904 3 mins Silent Location: Walton-on-Thames
Midsummer haymaking larks
Industry sponsored film 1951 10 mins Location: Stroud
The Stroud valleys of Gloucestershire in glorious Technicolor - and with a Laurie Lee script.
Documentary 1984 23 mins Location: Newark-on-Trent
From shire horses to the Royal Marines, welcome to the annual Newark Show. A serious business for the farming community, with prizes to win and 800 gallons of beer to be drunk.
Documentary 1944 7 mins Location: Stanion
An extraordinary and unexpected snapshot of rural life in wartime in which a young black girl is crowned Queen of the May.
Amateur film 1947 13 mins Silent Location: Harrow
Bluebells, wisteria and snowdrops feature in this lovely colour film showing the effect of nature on the London suburb of Harrow after the war.
School programme and Educational film 1957 8 mins Location: Finchingfield
It looks like time stands still there, but Finchingfield in Essex is changing: talk to the locals when visiting a village to find out what's new in their lives.
School programme and Educational film 1953 8 mins Location: Finchingfield
A young boy's bad dream about having an accident on his bicycle leads to some timely repair work with his father the following morning.
Charity appeal 2020 2 mins
Beautiful NHS fundraiser, setting Michael Rosen’s poem to powerful archive images.
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A volunteer cavalry regiment is enthusiastically welcomed home after active service in South Africa.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
All ashore! Passengers disembark and crew offload after a long Atlantic crossing.
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Weston Park
A stroll in the park for civilised city-dwellers in Edwardian South Yorkshire.
Non-Fiction 1924 1 mins Silent Location: Woking
The UK's first purpose-built mosque welcomes a huge crowd of worshippers - and newsreel cameras!
Comedy 1914 9 mins Silent
A vicar is caught flirting with an improperly-dressed chorus girl in this saucy silent comedy.
Do you recognise a place, building or location in this film?
Help us populate the Britain on Film map by spotting and plotting the street or location you know. This is a BFI project and anyone can help.
Go to our Britain on Film crowdsourcing site and contribute to our mapping mission – to identify locations within our archive films.
Add a location
