The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
New Derwentside
Steel men work their last shift at Consett and a town loses its industrial heart.
From the collection of:
Overview
Consett loses its heart to a post-industrial future as the legendary iron and steel works closes on 13 September 1980. The giant blast furnaces and cooling towers dominated the town for 140 years. The skilled workers who once grafted in this spectacular world of white hot metal and flame now take part in its demolition. This film puts a spin on what locals described as ‘the murder of a town’ while Consett’s industrial heritage is slowly erased to create a ‘new Derwentside’.
This sponsored film was produced for Derwentside District Council in association with the British Steel Corporation by Turners Film Productions of Newcastle to promote new investment in the town. At its peak in the 1960s, the Consett works provided jobs for some 6,000 workers, dirty and dangerous as they were, and, ironically, the steel works made a profit in 1980. Its closure was devastating to the town, leaving a third of its residents out of work, a fact dramatised in filmmaker Penny Woolcock’s 1988 docudrama for the Trade film co-operative, When the Dog Bites, also preserved at North East Film Archive.
Related
Watch for free
Consett Steel Consett Steel
Industry sponsored film 1967 26 mins Location: Consett
Sparks fly in an industrial film that captures the exciting visual drama of steel production in Consett.
Watch for free
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Watch for free
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Watch for free
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Watch for free
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.