This film is part of Free

Du Garde Peach: Derbyshire Under Snow

Great Hucklow, cut off by snow, relies on the old methods of clearing a way through.

Amateur film 1935 7 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Media Archive for Central England

Overview

This piece of silent 16mm film was shot by the author and playwright L. Du Garde Peach near his home at Great Hucklow in Derbyshire. The snow is piled deep in the drifts and work is underway to clear the roads aided by a very impressive horse drawn snow plough. The local postman also completes his rounds thanks to a pony and trap. The twentieth century barely creeps into this reel as the worst of the winter brings out the horse power for transport and human power for shovelling.

Lawrence Du Garde Peach was writing for both stage and screen at the time of this film as well as a regular on BBC radio and author of children's literature. He was a great supporter of local theatre, running a group at Great Hucklow. In the mid 1930s the Great Hucklow players were known for performing their plays at full moon because it was known to light the audience across the moors.