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Sail away to a bygone Cornwall in this wistful coastal travelogue
Travelogue 1916 5 mins Silent
Sail away to a bygone Cornwall - from Looe to Land's End by way of Polperro's weathered fishermen, Falmouth's picturesque harbour, and Newquay's rocky shores. Lingering on poetic details, this wistful coastal travelogue portrays a county bursting with rustic charm: ancient mariners, a St Ives artist, children clambering barefoot over the skeleton of a wrecked ship. Cornwall's popular image hasn't changed too much since.
It's 1916, and as the First World War rages across the channel, conscription is introduced in Britain. Yet these Cornish village harboursides are busy with sailors and fishermen, their occupations reserved from the draft.
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
A 'phantom ride' along a fondly remembered Devon railway, crossing the distinctive Taw Bridge into Barnstaple on the way to Ilfracombe
Non-Fiction 1902 9 mins Silent Location: Portishead
A fine variety of views of the Avon gorge taken from various positions downstream from the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Non-Fiction 1923 3 mins Silent Location: Plymouth
Get that Kruschen Feeling! Pram race to fundraise for the Palace Theatre
Travelogue 1920 12 mins Silent Location: Porth
Eden before the Project: a magical, whimsical travelogue of Cornish beauty spots.
1921 12 mins Silent Location: Lynton
Could these holidaymakers have imagined the violent potential of an idyllic Devon landscape?
Travelogue 1926 12 mins Silent Location: Glastonbury
Blessed are the cheesemakers of Somerset in this tour of Cheddar and nearby Glastonbury.
Travelogue 1956 29 mins Location: Looe
Off the Atlantic coast of Cornwall are perilous waters populated by pirates, smugglers and sharks
Advert 1904 19 mins Silent Location: Plymouth
From Saltash to St Ives, a whirlwind tour of Edwardian Cornwall.
News 1966 4 mins Location: Polperro
Locals are concerned about the commercial exploitation of the village as tourism ramps up.
Amateur film 1931 9 mins Silent Location: Polperro
Charming early amateur film taken on the south coast of Cornwall
News 1976 4 mins Location: Polperro
Flooding has caused extensive damage to Polperro
Non-Fiction 1930 2 mins Silent Location: Polperro
Historic fishing village of Polperro is mecca for artists
Comedy 1919 35 mins Silent
A protective father masquerades as an automatic doll in this bonkers interwar comedy.
1937 11 mins Silent
May Day – a significant day for the labour movement – is covered by the cameras of the Film and Photograph League.
Performance 1986 55 mins
An exploration of the life and work of the controversial British composer.
1935 9 mins
Let it bleed? This exemplary education film gets to the heart of the matter.
Non-Fiction 1935 12 mins Silent
Punchy political film capturing mass protests against unemployment.
1937 15 mins Silent
A spirited satire on the coronation of George VI made by members of the Film and Photograph League.
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