The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Video Player is loading.
The Stevenstone Hunt Ball
Revellers gather at the Hunt Ball to witness some hornblowing
In partnership with:
Overview
TV reporter Del Cooper joins the Stevenstone Hunt at the annual ball to celebrate the hunting season. A competition for hornblowers and prizegiving ceremonies precede the general merriment. Horn calls are used during the hunt to control the hounds and direct the pack.
Hunt Balls are more inclusive affairs these days and hold charity auctions and dinner dancing in country houses, hotels, universities or schools. Some hunt balls are held at the end of what would have been the traditional hunting season so in April or May. They are now no different to other black tie events on the social calendar although at some more traditional events some may still wear scarlet tail coats.
Related
Watch for free
Around the Village Green Around the Village Green
Travelogue 1937 12 mins Location: Finchingfield
Rural life in the Essex villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield - and the mixed reactions of older residents to changing times.
Watch for free
One Foot in Eden One Foot in Eden
Documentary 1978 49 mins Location: Orkney Islands
Orkney evoked through poetry, the sounds of nature, and the music of Peter Maxwell Davies.
Watch for free
A Day in the Hayfields A Day in the Hayfields
Non-Fiction 1904 3 mins Silent Location: Walton-on-Thames
Midsummer haymaking larks
Watch for free
West of England West of England
Industry sponsored film 1951 10 mins Location: Stroud
The Stroud valleys of Gloucestershire in glorious Technicolor - and with a Laurie Lee script.
Currently unavailable
Showtime Showtime
Documentary 1984 23 mins Location: Newark-on-Trent
From shire horses to the Royal Marines, welcome to the annual Newark Show. A serious business for the farming community, with prizes to win and 800 gallons of beer to be drunk.
Watch for free
Springtime in an English Village Springtime in an English Village
Documentary 1944 7 mins Location: Stanion
An extraordinary and unexpected snapshot of rural life in wartime in which a young black girl is crowned Queen of the May.
Watch for free
happiness happiness
Short documentary 2025 18 mins
From solidarity protests for Palestine to sleepless nights wrestling with the horrific realities – a rabbit-hole inquiry into alleviating insomnia.
Watch for free
Womb Womb
Drama 2025 15 mins
A Māori girl in the custody of an English couple savours her mother’s weekly visitations, making her long for a place to belong.
Watch for free
We Had Fun We Had Fun
Drama 2025 19 mins
An eldest son treats himself to a weekend getaway, dangerously leaving his siblings to their own devices.
Watch for free
Ka Ba Ddi: A Breath, a Move, a Game Ka Ba Ddi: A Breath, a Move, a Game
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2025 10 mins Silent
In this South Asian team sport, players repeating ‘kabaddi’ frantically cross boundaries on the court, tagging their opponents before returning.
Watch for free
Capybaras Capybaras
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2024 11 mins
Chickens and capybaras are unlikely allies.
Watch for free
Elephant Families Elephant Families
Documentary 2025 15 mins
When London’s Elephant and Castle shopping centre was demolished, it uprooted the community that made it their home.