At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free
Cine Scrapbook
There are some visual rarities in this fascinating compilation spanning three decades - featuring air raid shelter antics, switchback rollercoasters and aerials over Oxford.
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Overview
This fascinating compilation begins in the 1930s and features trips to various locations in the UK, including Harewood House, Glastonbury Tor and several cathedrals. A real treat is the aerial footage of the city of Oxford and the Morris Car plant at Cowley. It also shows a family of funsters trying out their air-raid shelter, though the dog gets left behind! There are pre-war scenes of Portsmouth and Southend as well as a number of situations requiring the fire service.
This film shows a skyline of pre-war Portsmouth and Southsea with the Guildhall in the distance. In the foreground is a rare glimpse of St Paul's Church, Southsea before it was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in January 1941. The passenger aircraft which is seen taking off from an airfield is a Handley Page W8b 'City of Bristol'. This aircraft type was the company's first civil airliner and seated 15 passengers in a closed cabin. The 2 pilots, however, sat in an open cockpit. This aircraft also had the distinction of being the first in the history of aviation to feature an onboard lavatory.
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