London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
This film is part of Free
No Coal Wanted Here
With scant regard for Health & Safety, the women of Chiswick smoke, lounge and leapfrog to their heart’s content for the start of the mixed-bathing season.
From the collection of:
Overview
Tremendous free-spirited footage of four women bathers smoking poolside – with no ashtrays in sight – at the start of the mixed-bathing season at the open air pool in Chiswick. Later, they leapfrog with men along the path and splash into the pool. The film’s strange title refers to the national coal crisis, as the mines returned to private ownership after the First World War, sparking strikes.
Related
Miner Miner
Documentary 1950 36 mins Silent Location: Featherstone
Absorbing overview of coalmining in the early years of nationalisation.
Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1964 2 mins
Miners' safety training - marked by stylish animation and gallows humour.
Energy Energy
Advert 1935 42 mins Silent Location: Cardiff/Caerdydd
Coal, between the world wars, makes the industrialised world go round and Cory Bros & Co Ltd, with collieries in south Wales and oil refineries across the globe, is a major player.
Big Pit Big Pit
Industry sponsored film 1978 7 mins Location: Blaenavon
Memories of Blaenavon Colliery, Monmouthshire, as it nears its end.
Guilty Chimneys Guilty Chimneys
Documentary 1954 18 mins
Elegiac sponsored film imploring viewers to "allow the sun to penetrate the haze of ignorance" and relieve British cities of pollution.
People Will Always Need Coal People Will Always Need Coal
Advert 1975 1 mins
Deliriously kitsch recruitment ad for the implausibly glamorous world of coalmining.
Automatic Fare Collection on London Buses Automatic Fare Collection on London Buses
Industry sponsored film 1971 2 mins Silent Location: Chiswick
A motley group of London Transport office staff line up to test the efficiency of two bus driver-operated ticket machines.
A Bit of Fun at the Chequered Flag A Bit of Fun at the Chequered Flag
Amateur film 1957 1 mins Silent Location: Chiswick
A mock standing start marks the beginning of an amusing classic car race that ends before it even gets going
1960 Wedding at Methodist Church Chiswick High Road 1960 Wedding at Methodist Church Chiswick High Road
Amateur film 1960 4 mins Silent Location: Chiswick
Glimpses of Chiswick High Road form the backdrop to the wedding guests arriving for a colourful 1960s wedding
Hold Tight/Hideaway Hold Tight/Hideaway
Music video 1966 5 mins Location: Chiswick
Take a very groovy road trip with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich in this early pop promo.
Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear
Documentary 1974 52 mins Location: Chiswick
Shocking and unsentimental Thames documentary recording the experiences of a group of abused wives in a landmark refuge in Chiswick.
Chiswick's Gallant Gunner Chiswick's Gallant Gunner
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent Location: Chiswick
Three cheers for Maurice Samuels, as a Chiswick tram driver receives a medal for bravery at the Western Front at Ypres.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.