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
Pinner - 1926 - Osborne Personal Film
Evocative film capturing the suburb of Pinner succumbing to modernity, as we watch roads being constructed and the countryside retreating.
From the collection of:
Overview
This fine film shows John Betjeman’s Metroland in the process of its construction, as we watch a road and houses slowly appear in the formerly rural suburb of Pinner. This is the onset of suburbanisation, and the cameras show how the area’s rural nature – there are several shots from farms and fields – succumbs to inevitable suburbanisation, with cars and buses replace horses and carts on freshly tarmacked streets. A huge change, carefully chronicled.
Related
Local Scenes and Family Pictures Local Scenes and Family Pictures
Amateur film 1927 14 mins Silent
Grandma and Grandad also join in the fun of this home movie - with beaches, swings & roundabouts and a medieval pageant led by Christopher Robin
Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll
Amateur film 1933 2 mins Silent
Four bright young things enact a midsummer's love tryst among the daisies in this short, well-crafted amateur fiction film.
Psyche's Wedding Psyche's Wedding
Home movie 1920 10 mins Silent Location: Devon
Bright young things thereto plight troth in a society wedding.
The Witch's Fiddle The Witch's Fiddle
Amateur film 1924 7 mins Silent
Gotta dance! A bewitched violin gets everyone's feet tapping.
Marjorie Glasspool Films Her Family in Alton Marjorie Glasspool Films Her Family in Alton
Amateur film 1930 8 mins Silent Location: Hampshire
Marjorie Glasspool's home movie captures a variety of events and occasions experienced by a Hampshire family
The Scarlet Woman The Scarlet Woman
Home movie 1924 44 mins Silent Location: Hampstead Heath
Catholic fantasy starring Elsa Lanchester and Evelyn Waugh in an Andy Warhol fright wig.
A Good Show A Good Show
Amateur film 1950 10 mins Silent Location: Pinner
Hijinks ensue when a couple attempt to operate their television set, illustrating the frustrations of (what would have been) new technology.
Field End Telephone Exchange Goes Automatic Field End Telephone Exchange Goes Automatic
Amateur film 1962 2 mins Location: Pinner
This amateur informational piece fervently laments the necessary shift from old-fashioned telephone operation to the automatic system.
Present Day Pinner Present Day Pinner
Amateur film 1960 2 mins Location: Pinner
The small town of Pinner in Harrow is brought to life through a short, reflective biography of novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
The Wedding of Peter and Judith Elliott The Wedding of Peter and Judith Elliott
Amateur film 1956 14 mins Silent Location: Pinner
Hats, stumbles and happy faces at this wedding film from 1956, taken at the service and reception of Judith and Peter Elliott in Pinner.
Harrow Marathon and Shrove Tuesday in Pinner Harrow Marathon and Shrove Tuesday in Pinner
Amateur film 1984 4 mins Location: Pinner
Amateur newsreel covering the Harrow Marathon and a packed Shrove Tuesday event on Pinner High Street attended by Ronny Barker.
Pinner Week Pinner Week
Amateur film 1970 21 mins Location: Pinner
A tour of Pinner Village during its celebratory Pinner Week highlights local landmarks, fun, fancy dress and festivities.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.