The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Billingham Scene
A green and pleasant land is never far away from the huge chemical works at Billingham.
From the collection of:
Overview
The vast industrial ICI Billingham site nestles in a Tees river valley of elemental beauty. Stockton, Yarm, Norton and Croft are praised as near-by towns and villages of considerable history, convenience and charm ideal locations as homes for ICI workers. A romanticised pre-urban Teesside is evoked in this 1950s ICI public relations exercise, accompanied by a series of descriptive voiceovers, which end in poetic style: The voice of industry is a million miles away
The ICI Billingham Film Unit made a number of films in the pictorial tradition that emphasise the pastoral beauty of the neighbouring Teesdale and Cleveland landscape a remarkable contrast to the sprawling industrial chemical complex, first founded by Alfred Mond in 1929.