This film is part of Free

View from an Engine Front - Barnstaple
A 'phantom ride' along a fondly remembered Devon railway, crossing the distinctive Taw Bridge into Barnstaple on the way to Ilfracombe
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent
Overview
Take a lost railway journey into Victorian Devon. As the cameraman clung to the front of a train in 1898, cranking the film by hand, things were looking up for Devon railways. In May the new Barnstaple Town station had opened to share a home with the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. In the film you can see the older, empty Barnstaple Quay station after crossing the distinctive iron bridge over the River Taw.
To retrace the Ilfracombe Line from Barnstaple today you would have to be on foot or cycle as the line was closed in 1970. The bridge was demolished in 1977, but both stations still stand, repurposed as a café and a sixth form out-building for the nearby Pathfield School.
Subjects
Related
Grand Tour

Tram Journey through Southampton Tram Journey through Southampton
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
A moving tour through lively turn-of-the-century Southampton.

Churned Waters Churned Waters
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins Silent
A hypnotic study of the wake of a ship at sea

Panorama of the Paris Exhibition No. 3 Panorama of the Paris Exhibition No. 3
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent
An unusual view of Paris, shot from a boat travelling down the Seine. You can even see the Eiffel tower - almost!

Railway Ride over the Tay Bridge Railway Ride over the Tay Bridge
Non-Fiction 1897 5 mins Silent Location: Tay Bridge
Stunning train's eye views across the Tay rail bridge from Fife to Dundee

Phantom Ride - Chamonix Phantom Ride - Chamonix
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent
Admire the view but don't look down, as this short film takes you on a breathtaking trip through the Alps

A Steamship Passes By A Steamship Passes By
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins
With energetic waving of handkerchiefs to those on shore, a large steamship heads off
Barnstaple

Halloween Hubble Bubble Halloween Hubble Bubble
Current affairs 1968 5 mins Location: Barnstaple
Children of a Devon primary school try to explain what happens on All Hallows Eve.

Barnstaple Fair Barnstaple Fair
Non-Fiction 1915 3 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Roll up, the fair's in town - even with a war on.

Barnstaple Fair in the 1920s Barnstaple Fair in the 1920s
Non-Fiction 1926 5 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Join the crowds in Barnstaple for fairground attractions

Barnstaple Town v Exeter City Barnstaple Town v Exeter City
Sport 1980 0 mins Location: Barnstaple
Barnstaple in pre-season friendly against Exeter City

Building and Launch of the "Crepath" at Barnstaple Building and Launch of the "Crepath" at Barnstaple
Non-Fiction 1918 5 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Barnstaple's experimental concrete-hulled ship gets a visit from a jolly Italian admiral.

Barnstaple snow Barnstaple snow
News 1979 2 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Heavy snow fall in Barnstaple during the Winter of Discontent
New

How to Die Young in Manila How to Die Young in Manila
Drama 2020 12 mins
A teenage boy trails a group of young hustlers, thinking one of them may be his anonymous hook-up for the night.

The Summer of 12 The Summer of 12
Drama 2019 25 mins
Amongst the young members of a swimming team, the onset of puberty brings unwanted challenges.

Melt Melt
Drama 2018 12 mins
When Little Jia is asked to read his essay about how he spent Women's Day with his mother out loud in class, he has to hide the sad truth that only his friend Dong knows.

We Outlaws We Outlaws
Drama 2019 33 mins
China in the early 1990s. By day, Chen Shi is a man employed in a textile workshop. At night, she is a woman in a red dress. One evening, she falls in love with a man she meets at a dance hall.

Langit Budak Biru Langit Budak Biru
Drama 2018 23 mins
Two teenage boys in a Malaysian boarding school wrestle with the challenges of bullying and identity.

Kiss of the Rabbit God Kiss of the Rabbit God
Fantasy 2019 15 mins
A Chinese-American restaurant worker falls in love with an 18th century Qing dynasty god, who visits him at night and leads him on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery.