The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Royal School for the Deaf, Derby: Sports Day and Outings 1936
From donkey rides to sports day: a year in the life of the hearing impaired of Derby.
From the collection of:
Overview
This record of events at the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby during 1936 focuses on special events rather than showing teaching methods. The school's interest in the physical well-being of its students through the annual sports day is evident but the highlight is a trip by train to 'bracing' Skegness. The children joke to the camera en route to the seaside and are clearly delighted by the beach with its donkey rides and splash pools.
The film was produced before the widespread teaching of sign language and is one of several similar films that cover sports days and outings at the school from the 1930s to the 1960s. At the time hearing impaired children were encouraged to speak and not sign and former pupils have talked about the somewhat harsh treatment dealt out to children who found this difficult. A school for the deaf was founded on Friargate in Derby in 1893 by Dr William Roe, receiving its royal status during the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. The school moved to a new site nearby on Ashbourne Road in 1972. Headmaster at the time of this film was William Roe's son, William Carey Roe.
Related
Eyes of a Child Eyes of a Child
School programme and Educational film 1961 31 mins Location: Dorton Ho (Sch)
Young imaginations run wild at School for Blind Children.
An Ordinary Life An Ordinary Life
1985 29 mins
“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain
It's a New World It's a New World
Instructional 1977 30 mins
Early attempts at inclusive swimming for disabled people.
Three for Society Three for Society
1969 29 mins
Feisty and free-spirited, three disabled people talk frankly and directly about the barriers they experience in the 1960s
Like Other People Like Other People
Documentary 1972 51 mins
Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972
Artificial Limb Making Artificial Limb Making
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent
Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others
Easter Holiday Troubles Easter Holiday Troubles
Non-Fiction 1968 3 mins Silent Location: Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, Cleethorpes, Skegness and Clacton all feature sunbathing, donkey rides, bank holiday traffic queues and rowdy youths.
Holiday Hooliganism Holiday Hooliganism
Non-Fiction 1966 1 mins Silent Location: Skegness
Easter Monday crowds pour off the trains at Skegness and in Yarmouth, mods and rockers skirmish with the Police on Marine Parade.
Butlins Butlins
News 1979 10 mins Location: Skegness
Anglia TV reporter, Paul Barnes revisits the busy Butlins holiday camp at Skegness where he once worked as a Redcoat.
From the Wolds to the Sea From the Wolds to the Sea
Promotional 1980 26 mins Location: Skegness
There's something for everyone in Lincolnshire - from the excitement of the seaside to the peaceful inland wolds
Happy Sea Side Holidays Happy Sea Side Holidays
Home movie 1956 9 mins Silent Location: Southport Sands
An enterprising family make the most of, not one, but eight seaside beaches dotted around the north of England, all in one summer.
Bolton: Skegness 1935 Bolton: Skegness 1935
Home movie 1935 5 mins Silent Location: Skegness
Happy carefree days on the beach at Skegness for the Bolton family.
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.