Watts Family Films: Christmas 1974, Epsom (1974)

Red letter day for the Victorian horseracing fraternity and the Surrey town.

A momentous act of self sacrifice is caught on camera - Emily Davison is trampled by the King's horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby.

One elderly relative falls asleep, but the kids still have a ball opening their Christmas presents in the Epsom suburbs.

A fourth birthday party begins with a polite tea and ends in balloon-hitting flag-waving anarchy as the kids enjoy their sugar rush.

It’s present time on Christmas Day 1976 in suburban Epsom, with the family gathered in the living room for a spot of unwrapping.

Children sit round the dining table for a rather formal children’s tea, rounded off by a cake with slightly frustrating candles.

A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.

British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.

The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.

Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.

Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.

A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.