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
A Railway Journey from Ryde Pier Head to Ventnor
The Isle of Wight's steam railways are seen in all their glory in this splendidly nostalgic film - a must for steam fans of all ages
From the collection of:
Overview
We start with the arrival of the MV Brading at Ryde's Pier Head. Passengers then transfer to the train waiting at the pier’s station. Setting off, we run past Ryde Esplanade and into open country. Stopping at Brading, we pause to look at a variety of railway features. Then we're off again, running past meadows with the Downs in the distance. At Wroxall, a few passengers board the train, before we soon pass through a tunnel which opens out at Ventnor Station - our journey’s end.
This wonderful film traces a journey by steam train from Ryde Pier Head station to Ventnor some time from the later 1950s to the early 1960s.Unfortunately, there are no details of the original film maker. The film contains images of Isle of Wight transport that have long disappeared. Firstly, the ferry arriving at the pier was, appropriately enough, the MV Brading. This small ferry operated between Portsmouth and Ryde from the early 1950s until its withdrawl in the early 1980s. The 14 mile route from Ryde to Ventnor was originally opened by the Isle of Wight Railway between 1864 and 1866, with a further extension to Ryde Pier Head opening in 1880.
Related
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
A Holiday on the Isle of Wight A Holiday on the Isle of Wight
Amateur film 1950 9 mins Silent Location: Ryde
Join the Thomspon family on their Isle of Wight holiday in this delightfully nostalgic film from 1950
Watch for free
Snow at Ryde Snow at Ryde
Amateur film 1954 3 mins Silent Location: Ryde
Enjoy Fred Ward's unusual view of Ryde's Promenade in 1954 - when thick snow covered boats, gardens, roads, ornate shelters and the palm trees!
Watch for free
Our South Western Holiday Our South Western Holiday
Amateur film 1950 15 mins Silent Location: Highcliffe
Two young men and a camera set off on a tour of South West England. Lucky for them it's sunshine all the way.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.