National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Newtown 1963
Take a trip to Newtown and view this market town as it was in 1963. See the statue of Robert Owen, the market, the bridges crossing the River Severn and the steam train.
From the collection of:
Overview
Newtown, birthplace of Robert Owen (pioneering social reformer and philanthropist), is a market town nestled on the banks of the River Severn and here you see town as it was in 1963. Not much has changed although the train now running through it is not steam powered. You can see the bridges that join the parts of town separated by the river and the market lining the street, selling fruit, electrical good and wellingtons.
This footage, possibly off-cuts, was shot by Bill Putnam, classics teacher at Newtown’s secondary school, together with pupils who were members of the film club he ran there. He went on to lecture in archaeology, inaugurating the first degree in practical archaeology in the UK at the University of Bournemouth.
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