This film is part of Free
Whitstable Oyster Feast
Down the hatch! Lashings of local flavour at Whitstable's annual oyster feast.
Overview
There are lashings of local flavour in this fascinating newsreel item showing one of Britain's oldest food festivals - the opening of the oyster season at Whitstable. The film tantalisingly cuts between shots of the oyster smacks, the dredgers at work, and bigwig Lord Northbourne and pals sampling the symbolic first catch of the season - washed-down with a few glasses of ale. Down the hatch!
Whitstable's ever-reliable annual fixture was manna for newsreels and newspapers alike - as is abundantly clear from the throng of cameras that surround the noble diners here.
Related
Waverley at Whitstable Waverley at Whitstable
Amateur film 1982 21 mins Location: Whitstable
Come along for a unique journey on the Waverley - the last sea going paddle steamer in the world - and London is our destination
First Victims of a Shell-fish Pleasure First Victims of a Shell-fish Pleasure
Non-Fiction 1923 1 mins Location: Whitstable
Whitstable oysters bite the dust in this pun-tastic 1920s newsreel.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.