The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
The Living Wall: A Personal View of Hadrian's Wall
Acclaimed author Hunter Davies travels the length of a magnificent Roman wall that stretches from industrial Tyneside to the Solway Firth.
From the collection of:
Overview
The author Hunter Davies follows the route of Hadrian’s Wall in the shadow of the Roman soldiers who built it - ‘great bricklayers’, ‘beautifully hygienic’ and fond of carving phallic symbols for good luck. This travelogue is brimming with historical insights, contemporary observations and sociological quips about a great military legacy, which first gave the North East its status as a romantically bleak frontier land.
Hunter Davies, a former Durham University history student, wrote the only authorised biography of The Beatles in 1968 and published several books on football including “Boots, Balls and Haircuts” in 2003. The author can’t resist the odd soccer reference in this enjoyable Tyne Tees and Border TV documentary, based on his book ‘A Walk along the Wall’. The film records a one-year, seventy-three mile tramp from Wallsend (where five of the hugely successful Swan Hunters shipyards were on strike when Davies visited), through the still feudal Northumbrian estates, and on to Bowness on Solway in Cumbria, the eerie main street of which he likens to ‘a left over from High Noon. The villagers are as scarce as Romans.’
Related
Watch for free
Simpson's Hotel Simpson's Hotel
News 1974 2 mins Location: Wallsend
A simple home for the homeless under threat. The Simpson’s Hotel in Wallsend is down but not yet out.
Watch for free
Metro: The Way Ahead Metro: The Way Ahead
Promotional 1984 27 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
The fast track to an ambitious new Metro system that ends commuter misery on Tyneside in the 80s.
Watch for free
A Christmas Party A Christmas Party
Amateur film 1951 4 mins Silent Location: Wallsend
Baby boomers celebrate Christmas with a party at a prefab in post-war Wallsend.
Watch for free
The Launch of the Punta Medanos at Wallsend The Launch of the Punta Medanos at Wallsend
Sponsored film 1950 8 mins Silent Location: Wallsend
Tyneside shipyard Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson turns out a beast of a tanker for the Argentine Navy
Watch for free
Construction of a Graving Dock Construction of a Graving Dock
Amateur film 1935 19 mins Silent Location: Wallsend
A construction project looks to the future at a Swan Hunter’s Tyneside shipyard in the 1930s.
Watch for free
Oil Tanker Wellfield; HMS Bulldog Torpedo Boat Destroyer Oil Tanker Wellfield; HMS Bulldog Torpedo Boat Destroyer
Amateur film 1931 16 mins Silent Location: North Shields
The casual heroes of the shipyards – workers and the ships they build on Tyneside are captured in beautiful monochrome by an early cine club.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.
Watch for free
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.