The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free

John Doyle in Torquay
John Doyle appears in this special report on the British summer season and is on the English Riviera.
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Overview
News reporter John Doyle is on a working holiday taking his Volkswagen Camper through Devon and Cornwall's most favoured resorts. The English Riviera term was coined by Victorians who believed it resembled promenades on the South of France with its subtropical palm trees and scenic views. This is the height of the holiday season and has attracted tourists from all over Britain looking for sun, sea and romance, something John seems to have nailed with a jaunt in a paddleboat.
The English Riviera has retained a particular appeal with its numerous tourist attractions including Kents Cavern, the Agatha Christie Mile, Torquay Museum and the Living Coasts Zoo still drawing in families. The twenty-two-mile stretch of coastline offers variety and Tor bay has long been a favourable place for regattas and sailing events. Holidaying in the seventies was becoming a more self-sufficient affair. A classic camper van with all mod cons and surfer dude lifestyle was to be envied. A rolling stone in the surf gathers no moss.
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