This film is part of Free
Tick-tock, tick-tock...the home of British time-keeping at Greenwich.
Non-Fiction 1928 1 mins Silent
A treat for horology fans, this short film showcases one of the most important clocks ever made - the Shepherd Gate Clock, mounted outside London's Royal Greenwich Observatory. An integral part of Britain's time system, the clock was also the first to display Greenwich Mean Time to the public. A pan of the beautiful Observatory buildings, overlooking Greenwich Park, reveals the clock in situ.
Installed by Charles Shepherd in 1852, the Shepherd Gate Clock is an early example of an electric slave clock, controlled by electric pulses transmitted from a master clock inside the building. The time observed by the Shepherd master clock was instrumental in establishing a standardised time system across Britain. The clock remains something of a tourist attraction today, as it was when this film was made - notice the healthy crowd of visitors outside the Observatory. Digitisation supported by the London Topographical Society.
Non-Fiction 1910 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
Spot the changes and continuities in this majestic Edwardian panorama of Trafalgar Square.
Documentary 1937 34 mins Silent Location: Houses of Parliament
Follow working narrow boats as they make their 60-hour trip from London to Birmingham along Britain's longest industrial waterway.
Documentary 1971 12 mins Location: Croydon
Do you remember when the moon men came to Croydon? You can bet these kids never forgot the day Dogg's Troupe landed
1977 13 mins Location: Hammersmith
Environmentalists wage war on the Greater London Council in this eye-opening account of a battle to save Hammersmith's open spaces.
Amateur film 1963 3 mins Silent Location: Westminster
Excellent if somewhat jerky aerial shots of London taken from a helicopter and featuring close-ups of Waterloo, the docks and Tower Bridge.
1963 3 mins Silent
London in 1963 was a city in flux, as this spectacular aerial footage shows.
1925 1 mins Silent Location: Greenwich
King George V and Queen Mary celebrate the 250th anniversary of astronomy at Greenwich.
Amateur film 1967 12 mins Silent Location: Ramsgate
Join the jolly crew aboard this cabin cruiser as it journeys from Ramsgate to Richmond in John Clague's fascinating maritime epic
Amateur film 1982 21 mins Location: Whitstable
Come along for a unique journey on the Waverley - the last sea going paddle steamer in the world - and London is our destination
Documentary 1955 16 mins Location: Westminster
Discover the history of the Thames River Police with a rather different tour of London's iconic river.
Amateur film 1973 1 mins Silent Location: Greenwich
Stand on the Prime Meridian line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and wonder at lost views across the River Thames
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.
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