The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Yorkshire Sketchbook
A leisurely tour of Castleford with a declining industrial landscape and a family enjoying the surrounding countryside in the mid-1950s, all in beautiful Kodochrome colour.
From the collection of:
Overview
A chance to see both sides of Castleford, the ugly and the pleasant in the mid-1950s, before the devastating pit closures and the Castleford Project. Local ironmonger John Parkin captures the factories and pits, already in the throes of decay, as well the parks and gardens in spring. Then out into the countryside, his family frolics in meadows and by streams, and the wildlife looks resplendent in Kodochrome colour, enhanced by the appearance of a Henry Moore statue.
This is one of many films of family outings and local activities made in the 1950s by John Parkin, who ran an ironmongers shop in Castleford. Castleford at the time was a thriving town with full employment, but the 1980s saw that change as pits like Fryston, Glasshoughton and Wheldale all closed (none are left). Henry Moore was born in Castleford, the son of a miner, and some of his works can be seen in the nearby Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Related
Castleford Advert 4 Castleford Advert 4
1941 1 mins Silent Location: Castleford
Never mind that the country is at war with a powerful and vicious foe, that’s no reason to stop going to greyhound racing, with a bet on the side.
Castleford Advert 1 Castleford Advert 1
1939 0 mins Silent Location: Castleford
Adverts not to get punters to buy anything, but just to enjoy sports and preserve memories of seaside holidays, in “real” photographs.
Castleford Advert 3 Castleford Advert 3
1939 0 mins Silent Location: Castleford
No attempt to sell an idyllic lifestyle here in these two cinema ads for local shops, just a simple warning on the irreplaceability of eyesight.
Castleford Advert 2 Castleford Advert 2
1941 0 mins Silent Location: Castleford
Advertisements for tripe, cow heels, trotters and milk – those were the days! It was a time of food rationing, but going to the cinema wasn’t.
Annual Pram Race 1962 Annual Pram Race 1962
Amateur film 1962 20 mins Location: Castleford
‘Carry On Castleford’ – crowds take to the streets in fancy dress for the Annual Pram Race.
Wheel of Fortune Wheel of Fortune
Amateur film 1958 6 mins Location: Castleford
Rich man vs. Poor man - what goes around comes around in this unexpected gambling tale
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.