This film is part of Free
Druids, kings and mystics - rekindling the ancient spirit of Glastonbury.
Documentary 1922 68 mins Silent
In the shadow of the Glastonbury Tor, locals re-enact their town's history: from the early Mendip encampments, through King Alfred's defeat of the Danes, to a more contemporary staging of the Michaelmas Fair. The film was the brainchild of writer and teacher Alice Buckton (1867-1944) who was devoted to preserving the region's rich historic legacy. Look out for her in the opening shots.
Alice Buckton was one of the founding members of the 'New Avalonians', a movement that emerged in the 20s to research, preserve and celebrate Glastonbury's rich past. Other members included writer and spiritualist Wellesley Tudor Pole (grandfather of punk singer and actor Edward Tudor Pole). A contemporary article in The Times described the ambitious Glastonbury Past and Present as "the first film record of the history of a British town".
Drama 1913 54 mins Silent
Johnston Forbes-Roberston gives his famous performance of Hamlet in this ambitious early Shakespeare feature
Non-Fiction 1915 mins Silent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
Top-hatted gents (one Japanese) parade through the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon to mark Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1919 10 mins Silent
To bob, or not to bob? That is the question for Ophelia in this early animated Hamlet, starring a far from gloomy Dane
Non-Fiction 1957 5 mins Silent Location: Hampton Lucy
Shakespeare's Warwickshire - home of the half timbered heritage trail and the place that will be forever linked to its most famous son.
Travelogue 1940 10 mins Silent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
A tour of Stratford-upon-Avon's houses and hamlets, stomping ground of a young William Shakespeare.
Non-Fiction 1926 1 mins Silent Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
"O for a muse of fire" - or not, as Shakespeare's Memorial Theatre in Stratford is gutted by flames.
Amateur film 1930 7 mins Silent Location: Glastonbury
Join the Blighs on their homeward journey through the Southern counties - calling at Glastonbury and various ancient landmarks east
Travelogue 1947 17 mins Silent Location: Cheddar Gorge
Hitchcock went the wrong way! Head south by southwest with this travelogue from Bath to Cornwall.
News 1972 5 mins Location: Glastonbury
Glastonbury ley lines for iconic pyramid stage to heighten a festival-goer’s experience
Travelogue 1916 1 mins Silent Location: Cheddar Gorge
Pure tranquillity in rural Somerset, a world away from the war raging on the continent.
Amateur film 1930 20 mins Silent Location: Harewood
There are some visual rarities in this fascinating compilation spanning three decades - featuring air raid shelter antics, switchback rollercoasters and aerials over Oxford.
Travelogue 1926 12 mins Silent Location: Glastonbury
Blessed are the cheesemakers of Somerset in this tour of Cheddar and nearby Glastonbury.
Promotional 2019 10 mins
A wandering warrior dreams of a new form of expression, in this promo for UNKLE’s album The Road: Part II / Lost Highway Pt. II directed by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones.
1935 16 mins
A rare glimpse of 1930s London in colour: the Thames has never looked lovelier.
Advert 1946 1 mins Silent
Life is looking up! The war is over and the “Corona” Man can visit his “Corona” families once more, door-to-door.
Advert 1962 0 mins Location: Rhyl
Cinema advertisement for Marine Lake & Ocean Beach, Rhyl, a popular destination for crowds set on a day's fun on free rides.
Advert 1942 7 mins Silent Location: Blaenau Ffestiniog
Who could deny these advertising claims: "Attractive hair is the ambition of every woman", and "Your family will enjoy Lincoln potatoes"?
Advert 1955 1 mins
Operatic chickens, shrimps and salmon sing-a-long with a paste pot chorus in this vibrantly animated advert for Shippam's
Do you recognise a place, building or location in this film?
Help us populate the Britain on Film map by spotting and plotting the street or location you know. This is a BFI project and anyone can help.
Go to our Britain on Film crowdsourcing site and contribute to our mapping mission – to identify locations within our archive films.
Add a location
