At the Seaside with the Embertons

Joseph Emberton's fascinating film begins in Polzeath, Cornwall where we see various scenes showing the family playing in the sea. From a rocky cliff-top surfers make their way out to sea carrying their boards. Kathleen Emberton is also seen surfing. We next see the family in Blackpool where they enjoy an ice-cream at a Pleasure Beach café. Various buildings designed by Emberton are seen as well as other attractions including a miniature train, which the girls enjoy.

Joseph Emberton was a noted British architect, designing some of the defining modernist buildings of the 1930s. His designs included parts of London's Olympia, Simpsons of Piccadilly and the rebuilding of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach - including the Grand National roller coaster and the Fun House, both of which are seen in this film. This film shows two holidays taken between 1935 and 1937. The first, to Polzeath in Cornwall, captures beach scenes showing the growing interest in surfing - an interest shared by Emberton's wife, Kathleen. The second film shows the Emberton family's visit to Blackpool and most of the footage is set around the buildings and structures designed by Joseph Emberton himself.