The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Kirk Ireton Parishioners
From the youngest to the oldest: the camera captures the ordinary lives of the people of Kirk Ireton in Derbyshire.
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Overview
This short film made by Wilfred Ratcliffe from the nearby village of Kniveton is shot in a relaxed style and provides us with a fascinating view of life in a Derbyshire village before the Second World War. Women go about their business and some of the youngest inhabitants are presented to the camera. Opening the reel are shots of the local children demonstrating their well rehearsed country dancing skills.
The film maker Wilfred Ratcliffe was the village barber in Kniveton and also the chauffeur to Thomas Edward Wright who was a prominent local farmer and land owner. The pair would drive around the locality filming people as they went about their business in the fields and streets.
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