National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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The Iles - in the garden, at the seaside, at Christmas
Life with the Iles family: Summer is for cycling, the seaside, tending to tortoises and meeting delightful collie pups. Christmas is for crackers and the gift of a perfect doll.
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Overview
In the summer the Iles sisters – Monica and Gillian - are filmed in the garden bicycling and tricycling, attending to their menagerie (a budgerigar, 5 tortoises, a white rabbit) and being entertained by grandad and his false teeth. They visit the seaside and are delighted by collie puppies at a farm. Christmas brings visitors and presents, in particular a golden-haired doll, and dad – Reginald George Iles – is seen working the projector for a family film show.
Mr Iles, who died in 1961, lived with his wife – Vera Eileen – and two daughters at a house called ‘Branksome’ – 181 Heathwood Road, Cardiff. From Bristol, he worked for the Bonus Department of Imperial Tobacco in Cardiff and also filmed local shows for the South Wales and Monmouthshire Agricultural and Horse Shows Association [now the Wales and Border Counties A&H Shows Association] of which he was a founder member. His daughters, who are seen at the shows on horse-back, both became well-known horse breeders.
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