National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Isles of Scilly - Daffodils
This should be a ‘scatch-and-sniff' film, so viewers can enjoy the scent of the daffodils whilst seeing them harvested and packed for export.
From the collection of:
Overview
Many of the daffodils bought to celebrate St David's Day on March 1st will have come from the farms of Scilly Islanders whose daffodil harvest Ion Trant of Maesmawr Hall, Welshpool, has here recorded on film. The farmers must surely bless St David and all lovers of spring flowers for the support that is thereby given to their small-is-beautiful economy.
Filmed by Ion Trant from Dovea Farm, Tipperary, Ireland, who studied agriculture in Canada and then joined the staff of the Welsh Plant Breeding Station at Aberystwyth, where he met his future wife, Janet Owen of Maesmawr Hall, Welshpool. They farmed at Maesmawr Hall and the adjoining farm, Cefn Du, and at Esgairdraenllwyn, Llaithddu, Llandrindod. Conscious of an emerging gulf between town and country, Ion welcomed school visits to his farms and also devised/filmed the Country Close-Up series for children (BBC TV 1956-62), often featuring his own 3. He was subsequently offered work as a freelance cameraman on the BBC's farming programme and others.
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