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
Food for Thought Food for Thought
Government sponsored film 1940 5 mins
Grumpy Grandma is put in her place during wartime food demonstration
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.