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.
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Thorpeness
With a combination of Peter Pan islands, a House in the Clouds, a safe shallow lake and sandy beach, Thorpeness has been the idyllic holiday resort for more than a century.
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Overview
Seeing such idyllic, charming almost chocolate box scenes it is hard to believe that Thorpeness needed to promote itself at all in this wonderful 1930s film. For children and adults alike, the allure of the state of the art facilities, mock Tudor framed houses and magical fantasy playground must have been been quite a draw.
By the time this film was made, Thorpeness was already well established as a popular seaside resort for the well to do and their families and friends, who returned year on year to sample a flavour of utopia in this unique fantasy world on the Suffolk coast. The brainchild of Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, Thorpeness was opened in 1914 and seen as as a slice of "Merrie England" with a nod to the Garden City philosophy.
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