This film is part of Free

Rowland Playing Rugby and other footage

Variety is the spice of life: footage here ranges from Ceredigion farm animals to a tortoise, from Machynlleth school rugby to a wedding.

Home movie 1965 4 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales

Overview

Gwen Davies of 'Dolclettwr' farm, Taliesin, captures her family's life on film, proving that unedited home movies often provide an infinite variety of footage and tantalising glimpses of people and places. The original audience had no need of inter-titles identifying people and places - they knew well enough who was who and where they were. This title ranges from farm animals to school rugby, from hospital visit to wedding and the last steam train bound for Machynlleth.

Footage of animals includes shots of Dolclettwr's prize bull being chased by dogs. The film-maker's children – Rowland and Kathryn – enjoy Castell y Bere, a Welsh castle, and also visit a relative (who could tell fortunes) in Llanidloes Hospital. A film crew is at work at Dyfi Junction [?] and children seek autographs from actors [?]. Members of the local Farm Women's Club (run by Farmers Weekly magazine) gather on the steps of The National Library of Wales, on the trail of bygone cookery books. Rugby is played by boys of Machynlleth's County Primary School as the last local steam train passes by, and this title ends with a beginning: the wedding at Soar Chapel, Tre'r-ddôl, of mature bride Nancy Bond of Taliesin.