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.
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Enchanting North
Castles, shipwrecks and colonies of birds encountered on a journey down the coast of Northumberland.
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Overview
This 50s home movie features some of the Northumbrian coast’s enchanting cultural treasures. The springtime sights visited include Howick Hall, the ancestral seat of the Earls Grey, and Bamburgh Castle, Victorian industrialist William Armstrong’s huge restoration project. The romantic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle loom over Embleton Bay, where the rusting hulk of a Polish trawler lays shipwrecked on rocks, the fishermen rumoured to be Cold War spies.
Also featured is a boat trip from Seahouses harbour to the famed bird colonies on the Farne Islands, a popular stop off for tourists and bird-watchers alike. The Polish-registered fishing boat ran aground in fog on the 28th August 1958 at a place known as Novia Scotia. There were various reports suggesting the boat was wrecked on purpose, either for reasons of espionage or to claim asylum.
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