The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Madeley Before Redevelopment
Views of historic Madeley in Shropshire during the winter of 1967, as the spectre of a new town looms.
From the collection of:
Overview
The historic settelement of Madeley in Shropshire was one of the areas that formed the Dawley New Town development (renamed 'Telford' in 1968 after the engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834)). These scenes were filmed in October, 1967 and, apart from the mud on the streets caused by the constant flow of construction traffic, we see a town that is coming through the process relatively unscathed.
Telford did not become as large as had been proposed in 1968 so much of the historic heart of Madeley survives. We can speculate that the unidentified filmmaker was expecting much of the scenes captured to be consigned to history. Admittedly some of the pubs are no longer there but film of any town from 1967 will tell the same story. The historic Anstice Memorial Hall typifies the continuing life of the town - this former workingmen's club may have gone into liquidation in 2014 but it has since been reborn as a community centre owned by Madeley Town Council. (Please note that this title contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.)
Related
The New Life The New Life
Promotional 1971 17 mins Location: Telford
"A new city - your city". Telford is a different kind of new town that's not just about brick and concrete.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.