Please download the latest version of the BFI Player app (3.4)
AirPlay is now enabled and casting functionality has been improved
This film is part of Free
Splendid colour film of historic Hemel Hempstead ten years after its launch as one of Britain's burgeoning New Towns.
Documentary 1959 11 mins
This splendid 1950s colour film of new housing estates, factories and shopping facilities in Hemel Hempstead was shot as part of a project to record the town's growth following its designation as a New Town in 1949. Sadly, the original commentary that accompanied this 1959 film, the first of a planned series, is believed to be lost; however a later edited black and white version with commentary - New Town from Old (1962) - is available on BFI Player for comparison.
Promotional 1952 10 mins Silent Location: Letchworth Garden City
1903 saw the launch of "First Garden City Ltd." and the purchase of development land near Hitchin. 50 years on, in Coronation year, Letchworth was worthy of another celebration.
1956 14 mins Location: Harlow
An insider's guide to 1950s Harlow made for US audiences, with architect Frederick Gibberd interviewed from the top of the Lawn tower block.
Cinemagazine 1973 8 mins Location: Milton Keynes
"The most exciting thing going on in Europe, if not the world": welcome to Milton Keynes circa 1973.
News 1966 3 mins Location: Stevenage
Stevenage is town planning utopia, for it boasts at least 50 - yes 50! - underpasses. Like a pro, the reporter’s enthusiasm enlivens the dry subject matter. Journeying is but a joy!
Amateur film 1957 15 mins Silent Location: Welwyn Garden City
Picturesque tour of Welwyn, England's second Garden City. A rural-urban idyll of spacious residential areas and green community spaces. A marvel of town planning design!
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1948 8 mins
Charley says (no, not that one) that Britain’s new towns are great
Sport 1976 5 mins Location: Hemel Hempstead
Women cricketers are just as tough as the men, and no, despite rumours, they don’t wear coconut shells to protect themselves during matchplay!
Industry sponsored film 1957 12 mins Silent Location: Hemel Hempstead
A sales-pitch portrait of the Hertfordshire town of Hemel Hempstead, still settling into its New Town status as "the modern town in the countryside".
Documentary 1937 34 mins Silent Location: Houses of Parliament
Follow working narrow boats as they make their 60-hour trip from London to Birmingham along Britain's longest industrial waterway.
1972 5 mins Location: Bushey
Hertfordshire blazes a trail in providing for travellers.
Amateur film 1959 2 mins Silent Location: Hemel Hempstead
A lament for a more picturesque Britain; scenic Hertfordshire is threatened by the encroachment of a new motorway, the M1.
Amateur film 1954 26 mins Silent Location: Hemel Hempstead
Amateur captured Hertfordshire town centres, public gardens, market days, river journeys by boat or barge, and Whipsnade Zoo with wild animals from each corner of the globe.
Short documentary 2021 4 mins
Director Eva Riley (Perfect 10) introduces Carine Adler’s Under the Skin, and describes why Samantha Morton’s visceral feature film debut performance astounds her.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1980 49 mins
Divorce 1980s-style is examined by this BFI film in which, tellingly, only the deserted wife is denied a voice.
Documentary 1943 12 mins
Are your stooking and stacking skills poor? Watch and learn how best to stack your stooks.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 43 mins
Mundane images are flipped, looped, reversed and interpolated to the sound of Monteverdi and other sonic textures.
Documentary 1957 20 mins
Epic undertaking at Bevercotes Colliery, digging 3000 feet to reach untapped coal seams in Nottinghamshire.
Travelogue 1935 15 mins Silent Location: Bournemouth
Anyone for a trip to the seaside? From Bournemouth to Margate via Brighton and Folkestone – sunny delights in abundance.
Do you recognise a place, building or location in this film?
Help us populate the Britain on Film map by spotting and plotting the street or location you know. This is a BFI project and anyone can help.
Go to our Britain on Film crowdsourcing site and contribute to our mapping mission – to identify locations within our archive films.
Add a location
