London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
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How It Happened!
A powerful flood swamps London’s power stations, Parliament and historic palaces - on a model built to recreate the Thames tidal surge of 1928.
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Overview
A tidal surge stormed up the Thames in 1928, filling the moat at the Tower Of London and flooding Westminster, where 11 died. To show what happened, the Topical Budget built a relief model of central London, with bridges and major landmarks clearly signposted, and filmed it from above. Water washes in east-to-west, while captions explain what damage occurred at each location. The film ends with footage of the record high-water mark on a wall in Kew.
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