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.
This film is part of Free
Aberystwyth County School Gymnastic Display
Exercises to stimulate the healthy development of the growing child: vaulting, somersaulting, hurdling, jumping, leap-frogging, dancing – and violin playing.
From the collection of:
Overview
Rain stopped the gymnastics on Tuesday 27th May 1924 and the event was re-scheduled for Thursday 29th, which dawned dry enough, although breezy, for this open-air gymnastic display at the Vicarage Field, Llanbadarn Road, Aberystwyth. The girls dance and the boys vault over a horse, do the high jump and hurdles, leap frog and relay-race and play the violin. Both do “free gymnastics”. All would have flocked to the Palladium to see themselves on screen in this local newsreel.
Shot by Gustavus [Gus] A Cheetham, son of entrepreneurial film-maker and cinema proprietor Arthur Cheetham this film would have been shown in the Cheetham cinemas, particularly the Palladium in Market Street, Aberystwyth. It shows the laurel wreath of victory being accepted by William Gardener on behalf of the winning team comprising pupils from ‘Gwynedd', one of the four school ‘houses' (the others were ‘Ceredigion', ‘Powys' and ‘Arfon' and children can be seen with the various initial letters on their shirts). Cheetham also owned cinemas in Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Manchester area.
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