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
Growth of Durham
A lyrical dawn-to-dusk portrait of Durham City made by a student at Bede College in the 1960s.
From the collection of:
Overview
The beauty, brains and commercial heart of Durham - a Bede College student crafts a silent, contemplative portrait of a city on a winters day. The film documents a cityscape of incremental changes, layers, and time zones, from a magnificent Norman cathedral and castle, cradled in the bend of the River Wear, to post-war industrial edge lands near Gilesgate Moor. The slow tempo picks up with Christmas shoppers at Woolworths and in the busy Market Place.
Amongst the architecture and environs of Durham captured by this films static camerawork, the imposing art deco Majestic Cinema stands on Sherburn Road in the Gilesgate Moor area, once home to coal mining communities. It was opened in 1938 by the great Teesside cinema magnate Thomas Thompson and his North of England Cinemas consortium, the first days offering being Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in Maytime. The picture house occupied a prime site opposite the new council housing estate. Thompsons career began in 1908 with the opening of Cleveland Hall Cinema in Middlesbrough, affectionately known as the "Bug and Flea".
Related
Watch for free
Son of Plain - Advertising Man's Guide to Tyne Tees Television Son of Plain - Advertising Man's Guide to Tyne Tees Television
Promotional 1964 11 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Is comedian Clive Dunn the Don Draper of the British advertising world? Watch this imaginative Tyne Tees TV marketing film and decide.
Watch for free
Geordie Jubilee Geordie Jubilee
Promotional 1987 4 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
A big Geordie welcome to the north east from comrades at NERIAC.
Watch for free
All Change All Change
Amateur film 1965 9 mins Silent Location: Durham
Looking down the line on Durham station as the diesel age gathers pace on British railways.
Watch for free
In Pawn In Pawn
Amateur film 1952 16 mins Silent Location: Durham
Fur flies in a delightfully cynical 1950s cine club comedy about marriage and infidelity.
Watch for free
A Pocketful of Fear A Pocketful of Fear
Amateur film 1963 11 mins Silent Location: West Boldon
Buckle up for some asphalt angst on a tense 1960s road trip on and off the A19.
Watch for free
800 Years A City 800 Years A City
Amateur film 1979 15 mins Location: Durham
‘Soak the Serf’ for 3 groats along with the revellers and laughing nuns at Durham City’s 800th anniversary celebrations.
Watch for free
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
Watch for free
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Watch for free
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Watch for free
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
Watch for free
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
Watch for free
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.