The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
This film is part of Free
Thatching, the unchanging craft
Reknowned for the chocolate box image of quaint thatched cottages - there is always a need for experienced thatchers in East Anglia.
From the collection of:
Overview
The craft of thatching is the subject of this educational film following the full process from reed harvesting in the Cambridgeshire Fens through to the finished roof on a house in a nearby village. Whilst some of the tools may have changed slightly over the years, it is still a very specialised craft - passed on from father to son.
This film is the work of Hugh Brandon-Cox, artist, explorer and writer who spent much of his life in East Anglia, where he was inspired by the "wide skies". Whilst living in Cambridge working as a nature correspondent for a national magazine, he bought a 16mm cine camera and developed a talent for making films about nature and the environment. The commission for this film for the Educational Foundation for the Visual Arts followed on adding to his many successes and talents.
Related
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.