The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
This film is part of Free
Beachcombers
This documentary explores the pastime and livelihoods associated with beachcombing in the South West.
From the collection of:
Overview
This film is a portrayal of the characters that have associations with the beach where they live and who make a livelihood working between the tides. Barney Hansford was also known as the fossil man of Charmouth who for decades exhibited his collection of fossils near Charmouth Beach in Dorset. Ginny Arnold uses seine-haul fishing techniques at Chesil Beach in Dorset where nets set offshore are held down by weights and buoyed by floats and hauled onto the beach.
Ginny sells the catch to local wholesalers. Robert Troake and Jim White are wardens of Slapton Ley Field Centre and Nature Reserve and help protect the ecosystem of the shingle beach and freshwater lake. Brendan Sellick of Stolford is the third generation of fishermen to work the mudflats in Bridgwater Bay. His sledge is also known as a mud horse and his catch of shrimp and fish are sold locally. Len Martin collects razorfish or razor clams, a shellfish delicacy at Torre Abbey Sands in Torquay. Irene Jones of Bude in Cornwall is an artist who paints and sells pebbles. Richard Cormery is a driftwood artist from Widemouth in North Cornwall. All have one thing in common; they are beachcombers.