This film is part of Free

N.A.C.A.M. Convention in Eastbourne

The Nightingale family are out and about in 1920s Eastbourne, playing tennis in cloche hats, golfing in tweeds, touring the Downs and smoking.

Amateur film 1925 8 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Screen Archive South East

Overview

Percy Nightingale's snapshot of a family at leisure in the 1920s starts with tennis at Eastbourne's Devonshire Park. The courts are filled with players of all ages, with several cloche-hatted women players serving and volleying. We then see golf players accompanied by friends and family, in the Downs above the town. Two women are seen lighting up cigarettes and enjoying a smoke. The family tour the area in period cars, visiting nearby villages and beauty spots.

Amateur filmmaker Percy Nightingale made numerous films featuring his family throughout the 1920s and 1930s, often showing them enjoying outdoor sports and pastimes like bowls, croquet, golf and tennis – activities that were becoming increasingly popular during the inter-war years. Screen Archive South East's collection of Percy Nightingale films include titles like ‘Local Scenes and Family Pictures', ‘Hazeldene Orchestra' and ‘Golden Wedding Celebrations at Hazeldene.' Interestingly, this particular film captured rare images of the Indian Pavilion, in Eastbourne's Devonshire Park which was demolished in 1963 to make way for the present day Congress Theatre.