The Finishing Line

Rural life in the Essex villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield - and the mixed reactions of older residents to changing times.

Shocking scenes of Kensington slums and 1930s housing developments offer a sharp contrast with today's reinvented area.

Widgey Raphael Newman, the short-lived, extraordinarily-named director of this period piece, has assembled attractive images of Wales but beware the commentary!

An isolated life can mean that home is nothing more than an “airy tomb”, as imagined by poet and rural parish priest R S Thomas.

Not-so-special special effects add the magic touch to this kitsch British Rail commercial.

The might of the British Empire is mobilised for war during 1914 and 1915.

A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.

British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.

The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.

Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.

Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.

A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.