The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Belbroughton Forge
From the "jungle swamps of Vietnam" to the "sweet smelling hedgerows of our country lanes": the keen edge of a blade tempered by the craftsmen of Belbroughton.
From the collection of:
Overview
The local craft speciality at Belbroughton in Worcestershire was the scythes and blades favoured by generations of farmers. Originally the mills in the town were powered by water running off the nearby Clent Hills but by the time Lionel Hampden visited for ATV Today in 1965 electricity was the power source. What hadn't changed though was the reliance on the expert eye and skills of the workers themselves in producing a blade that would last a lifetime.
Scythe making took place in Belbroughton for around 400 hundred years but was considerably modernised by the Dudley trained industrialist Isaac Nash in the late nineteenth century. The final mill in the village closed in 1968.
Related
Watch for free
Belbroughton Coronation Belbroughton Coronation
Amateur film 1937 3 mins Silent Location: Belbroughton
With no effort spared on the costumes the villagers of Belbroughton in Worcestershire turn out in force to celebrate the 1937 Coronation.
Watch for free
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Watch for free
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Watch for free
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Watch for free
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.