This film is part of Free
Spring Comes to Town
Stroll through Hyde Park in your winter coat, but with the daffodils beginning to bloom, spring is nearly here!
Overview
Take a stroll through Hyde Park in your best winter coat. This charming footage was shot by a skilled amateur filmmaker in 1938 and captures the early days of a London spring season: rowing bots on the Serpentine, gardeners at work, deck chairs at the ready for the masses. Marble Arch and the Regal Cinema lay in wait, as does the ever-popular Speakers Corner. The film was released almost 10 years later by Denning Films - with an added soundtrack and a few tweaks to the original editing - in the form you see here.
Related
May Day Ponies May Day Ponies
News 1974 4 mins Location: Upper Gornal
Sam Jeavons is a Black Country horse man through and through and May Day is a time to decorate his wagon and bring some colour to Upper Gornal's streets.
Springtime in an English Village Springtime in an English Village
Documentary 1944 7 mins Location: Stanion
An extraordinary and unexpected snapshot of rural life in wartime in which a young black girl is crowned Queen of the May.
The Legend of the Good Beasts The Legend of the Good Beasts
Children's 1956 24 mins
Fabergé animals in a Russian influenced Easter tale narrated by Peter Ustinov
Welcome Spring Welcome Spring
Amateur film 1952 9 mins Silent
Spring comes to Scotland in the 1950s: feed playful lambs, pick a host of glorious daffodils, and harness your faithful horse to the plough in this lovely amateur colour film.
Avalanche of Lambs Avalanche of Lambs
Non-Fiction 1923 1 mins Silent
A fluffy white blizzard - of hundreds of newborn lambs - hits a Reading farm, keeping the shepherd's hands full.
Easter Parade, Hyde Park Easter Parade, Hyde Park
1958 4 mins Silent Location: Hyde Park
Easter Parade in Hyde Park, April 1958.
This is London This is London
Amateur film 1980 10 mins Location: Hyde Park
Walking down memory lane on a whistle-stop tour of central London, as seen through the eyes of a local filmmaker
Easter Parade, Hyde Park Easter Parade, Hyde Park
1958 4 mins Silent Location: Hyde Park
Easter Parade in Hyde Park, April 1958.
Hilton Hotel Construction September 1959 Hilton Hotel Construction September 1959
1959 5 mins Silent Location: Hyde Park
London, 1959: the Hilton Hotel rises from the ashes, surrounded by derelict houses and bomb damaged streets
Empire Day Empire Day
Non-Fiction 1923 1 mins Silent Location: Hyde Park
Thousands of children honour Queen Victoria's birthday with an Empire Day parade in Hyde Park
"Law Abiding" Suffragists "Law Abiding" Suffragists
Non-Fiction 1913 1 mins Silent Location: Hyde Park
Three cheers for women's right to vote! Thousands of 'peaceful, law-abiding Suffragists' - and their hat-waving supporters - converge on Hyde Park.
In the Heat of the Moment In the Heat of the Moment
Non-Fiction 1930 1 mins Silent Location: Hyde Park
At the height of Britain's bathing craze, hundreds of sun-worshipping Londoners test the waters at Hyde Park lido.
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.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.