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
Cluborama: A Record of Club Activities 1963-1964
A delightful record of freewheeling fun on workers’ trips and social club capers in Byker with the Newcastle and District Water Company.
From the collection of:
Overview
There’s a wicked sense of fun in this home movie of workers from the Newcastle and District Water Company in the 60s as they enjoy a downriver Tyne Queen ferry cruise, an Alnmouth beach trip amongst the World War II concrete tank defences, and chaotic kids’ races at a flower show. Best of all, a spot of camera trickery suggests an impossible number of people and crates of ale are unpacked from an iconic red Mini at their beloved Byker clubhouse.
There were one or two keen amateur filmmakers at Newcastle and District Water Company in Byker who collaborated on several films, this one the most vivid illustration of their narrative skill. The company was first established in February 1845 as the Whittle Dean Water Company under the leadership of well known Newcastle figures, including Richard Grainger and William Armstrong. It changed its name in 1863, and by the 1950s was the largest of any water company in Britain.
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