The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
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Future Uncertain
A whistle-stop venture from Kings Lynn to Hunstanton via rail, in the company of Chib Thorp, amateur filmmaker and rail enthusiast from Leigh on Sea.
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Overview
Edward Thorp, known as ‘Chib’, an undertaker from Leigh on Sea, spent his weekends throughout the year visiting the rural railway lines in East Anglia with wife Edna and their dog Micky. Chib always took along his 8mm camera, a good supply of Kodachrome film, and a tape recorder, to document their trips. Chib would edit the film himself at home, have a magnetic stripe added to the film, and on his Kodak projector, which had a recording facility, he would record a commentary.
The train journey starts outside Kings Lynn station, passing through the first station North Wootton, then to the lovely Wolferton - the station that once served the Sandringham Estate, stopping at Dersingham then Snettisham Station and Heacham, before hitting Hunstanton, the end of the line. Presumably the film's title "Future Uncertain" refers to the spate of line and station closures and therefore withdrawal of passenger services by British Rail following the Beeching Report.
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