The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Shipley 1961
The old shops of Shipley are lovingly preserved in this film as concrete shopping centres take over and local mums with prams, and elderly townsfolk, sit and ponder the results.
From the collection of:
Overview
This film by local filmmakers provides a real feel of a time and a place, evoking John Schlesinger’s Terminus of the same year in the way it has been beautifully crafted. The changing face of post-war Britain is perfectly illustrated here in Shipley as old mills, shops and houses are demolished, and Brutalist shopping centres rise in their place at the beginning of the 1960s. Local shoppers carry on as before as 1950s and ‘60s redevelopment transforms all around them.
This film is a further example of the filmmaking skills and attention to detail of the prolific Bradford filmmakers Harold Wood and his son David, who are best known for their films of various motor sports. Bradford and its neighbour Shipley were both towns that were largely rebuilt as a result of the redevelopment unleashed by the Tory Government from 1954, where the borough engineers and planners, together with commercial architects, redesigned city and town centres, heavily influenced by modernist architecture. It was also the age of the new shopping centres and pedestrianisation, with Arndale leading the way. This one at Shipley, opened by Bruce Forsyth, was the second one to be built in Britain.
Related
Ploughing at Fulking and views of Shipley Mill Ploughing at Fulking and views of Shipley Mill
Amateur film 1969 4 mins Silent Location: Fulking
Frank Gregory captures rural West Sussex in this charming film from 1969 - featuring Shire horses at a ploughing match and excellent views of a spinning Shipley Mill
Operation Progress Operation Progress
Non-Fiction 1957 41 mins Location: Shipley
In post-War Yorkshire, Shipley town centre undergoes radical transformation, turning the dilapidated mill town into a vision of modernity. Will it stand the test of time?
Castleford Wholesale Fruit and Veg Market Castleford Wholesale Fruit and Veg Market
Amateur film 1961 7 mins Silent Location: Shipley
A rare opportunity to see an insiders view of an old market, with lorries laden with veg and local characters pushing trolleys, jostling with the bustle of 1960s Sheffield life.
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.