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
Torrington Vikings
Ceremony ablaze with Viking custom
In partnership with:
Overview
This film is donated by the Torrington Cavaliers Charity and shows the burning of a viking boat, a prominent tradition for burial during the Viking Age believed to facilitate the journey to the land of the dead. The boat is traditionally made of ash. The Torrington Cavaliers entered a competition and paraded in Plymouth in 1970 dressed as Cavaliers, the name given to the Royalist supporters of King Charles II.
The pro-Royalist Cavaliers of Torrington were surrounded and defeated at the Battle of Torrington in 1646 by Cromwell's Parliamentarians or Roundheads under Sir Thomas Fairfax. Torrington Church housed the gunpowder and an explosion destroyed the church and people in it. After an outpouring of admiration for their float the Torrington Cavaliers are born and they continue every year to host spectacular bonfires raising money for charity.
Related
Watch for free
Milk Round Milk Round
Current affairs 1968 1 mins Silent Location: Great Torrington
Dairy woman set to retire after fifty years of milk deliveries in and around Torrington.
Watch for free
Great Torrington May Fair Great Torrington May Fair
Amateur film 1953 10 mins Silent Location: Great Torrington
Great Torrington’s children lead a May Day procession
Watch for free
Barnstaple Fair Barnstaple Fair
Amateur film 1950 5 mins Silent Location: Great Torrington
Carnival Procession sees whole town celebrate
Watch for free
Falconry Demonstration at Great Torrington School Falconry Demonstration at Great Torrington School
Amateur film 1964 1 mins Silent Location: Great Torrington
Falcon flies for Great Torrington School
Watch for free
Dartington Glassblowers Dartington Glassblowers
Current affairs 1978 1 mins Silent Location: Great Torrington
The successful clink of Handmade Dartington Crystal Glass in Torrington
Watch for free
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Watch for free
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Watch for free
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Watch for free
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
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.