This film is part of Free
Little Chesterford - Village Fire
There's an enchanting folkloric quality to this eclair newsreel showing a remote Essex village ravaged by fire.
Overview
On 8 April 1914 a fire swept through Little Chesterford, a remote village in Essex, claiming several farmhouses, two pubs, and nine cottages. There was no loss of life but 46 people, including a centenarian, Rebecca Law, were rendered homeless. The eclair cameramen were at hand to capture these scenes of the aftermath - more an enchanting vignette of rural life than a standard newsreel item.
The tragicomic tone of the film evokes the short comedies for which the French newsreel company eclair had gained an international reputation. The wily cameraman clearly ‘staged' certain shots to enhance the film's dramatic potential. Misfortune may have befallen the village but notice how the doughty locals make the most of the one barrel of beer salvaged from the embers of the village's two pubs, The Bushel & Strike and The Crown.
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