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
Railway Cottages at Blackwell
Would you be able to cope if 500 tonnes of diesel hauled express train hammered past your front window every few minutes? Seems as if you get used to it!
From the collection of:
Overview
Bev Smith meets people living at Blackwell in Worcestershire who have to cope with living only six yards away from the main Birmingham to Bristol railway line. From thundering express trains to squealing and clanging freight wagons, how do they manage? A hair raising news item that gets right up close to the story. In fact a little bit too close in one section...
The residents of Blackwell didn't even have the benefit of a handy railway station as the actual stop for the town had been closed in 1965.
Related
Watch for free
Railways for Ever! Railways for Ever!
Documentary 1970 7 mins
Sir John Betjeman reminisces about the phasing out of the mainline steam operation.
Watch for free
The Kiss in the Tunnel The Kiss in the Tunnel
Comedy 1899 2 mins Silent
A snatched kiss in a railway tunnel, played by real-life married couple GA Smith and Laura Bayley
Watch for free
A Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon Head A Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon Head
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1967 4 mins
Yo-yo, Pogo and Splat (guess which one's the lemon head?) feature in this innovative stop-motion railway safety film
Watch for free
The Long Drag The Long Drag
Documentary 1963 51 mins Location: Settle
Not just a chance to see locomotives steaming over viaducts, with the axe hanging over both, here we have the full glory of the Settle to Carlisle line, and its place in rural life.
Watch for free
Great North of Scotland Railway Films Great North of Scotland Railway Films
Amateur film 1963 26 mins Silent Location: Aberdeen
Train enthusiast David Gordon, Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, films a stunning array of steam engines as they whistle through the colourful Scottish countryside in the 1960s.
Watch for free
Terminus Terminus
Documentary 1961 35 mins Location: Waterloo Sta
The daily rhythms and dramas of Waterloo station are captured in John Schlesinger’s influential early film.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.