The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
This film is part of Free
St George's Island Owner
Evelyn Atkins tours her Cornish island off Looe for the camera
From the collection of:
Overview
Reporter Stephen Matthews visits St George’s Island off the coast of Looe to talk to its owner Evelyn Atkins about the publication of a new book documenting the experience. We bought an Island is an autobiographical tale written with her sister Babs about how the two quit Surrey in 1964 for cottages in Looe in South East Cornwall but how, within 14 months, purchase the 22.5-acre island replete with house, boathouse, and out-buildings for the sum of twenty thousand pounds.
Evelyn dies at the age of 87 in 1997 and Babs retires to living on the island until she passes away in 2004 at the age of 86. They write a sequel entitled Tales from our Cornish Island (1986). The island, also known as Looe Island, is bequeathed by the sisters to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust to be a nature reserve in perpetuity and it is open in the summer to visitors. The Trelawny family own the island from 1743 to 1921 and a small neighbouring island called Little Island returns to the Trelawny family on Bab’s death in 2004 and is renamed Trelawny Island.
Related
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.