At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free
Red Funnel Ferries
Thrill to the speed onboard a Red Funnel hydrofoil as it scoots across the Solent in this nostalgic advert from 1969
From the collection of:
Overview
This enjoyably nostalgic advert from 1969 starts with a shot of Red Funnel's newest hydrofoil, the Shearwater, speeding across the Solent. We cut to the interior cabin where the passengers, sitting comfortably, enjoy the view. Another shot shows the Shearwater overtaking a conventional ferry while the announcer extolls the fast journey time between Cowes and Southampton. We end with titles over a final shot of the Shearwater.
Red Funnel's Italian-designed hydrofoil, Shearwater, was the first such craft to enter commercial service in the United Kingdom. Introduced in 1969, the Shearwater, and her sister ship, Shearwater I, could each carry 54 passengers on the company's Cowes to Southampton service. The hydrofoils remained in service until 1973 when they were replaced with larger craft that could carry 67 passengers.
Related
Watch for free
Food for Thought Food for Thought
Government sponsored film 1940 5 mins
Grumpy Grandma is put in her place during wartime food demonstration
Watch for free
Local Trader's Gazette Local Trader's Gazette
Advert 1930 9 mins Silent Location: East Sussex
This amazing discovery shows how cinema advertising used to look in Bygone Britain - a truly nostalgic gem of a film for lovers of Britain's past
Watch for free
Local Cinema Advertisements - Ammanford Local Cinema Advertisements - Ammanford
Advert 1935 6 mins Silent Location: Ammanford/Rhydaman
Adverts: romancing the world – and Ammanford - with golden rings and Scandanavian meat, leather soles and coal, Eve's soap and flowers.
Watch for free
Local Cinema Advertisements - Port Talbot Local Cinema Advertisements - Port Talbot
Advert 1934 2 mins Silent Location: Port Talbot
The message for cinema-goers in Port Talbot, Neath and Briton Ferry is that they should shop local!
Watch for free
J White and Sons Ltd the Furniture Specialists Chesterfield J White and Sons Ltd the Furniture Specialists Chesterfield
Advert 1905 14 mins Silent
Step inside a local Edwardian store.
Watch for free
Cinema Commercial for Jewellers Cinema Commercial for Jewellers
Advert 1920 0 mins Silent Location: Frome
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling… early silent cinema advert for a local business in Frome.
Watch for free
Portsmouth & Southampton during the summer of 1929 Portsmouth & Southampton during the summer of 1929
Amateur film 1929 9 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth Harbour
Come aboard a jolly mini-cruise around the Solent in this fascinating 1929 film from Ralph Staley - featuring his wife Ellen, his daughter Pam and the Mauretania
Watch for free
Lady Congleton's film of the Cowes Regatta Lady Congleton's film of the Cowes Regatta
Amateur film 1930 1 mins Silent Location: Solent, The
Lady Congleton's remarkable film gets right in the middle of all the yachting action during Cowes Week
Watch for free
Isle of Wight Isle of Wight
Amateur film 1953 11 mins Silent Location: Bembridge Harbour
Join the Corders on a family holiday to the Isle of Wight - complete with beaches, boats and a rare glimpse of an all-metal flying Princess
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.
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.