At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free
The Inaugural Ball at Southampton's Civic Centre
Men in tails and ladies in tulle elegantly glide around the dance floor in this 1934 film about an inaugural ball at Southampton's new Guildhall
From the collection of:
Overview
This remarkable film captures an evening of local glamour featuring Southampton's elite in tails and tulle. Men and women dance to music provided by Bert Osborne and his band. We see a waiter bearing drinks on a tray while two young women, with shingled hair, sit on the plush carpet for an elegant smoke. Guest of honour at this inaugural dance is Duff Cooper, a prominent member of Neville Chamberlain's cabinet. The film ends with several views of Bert Osborne's dance band.
The inaugural ball featured in this film celebrated the opening of the Guildhall - a venue which was part of Southampton's Civic Centre. Originally a town hall, the building contains a large pipe organ of around 4000 pipes, with both a classical concert organ and a theatre organ. Today the Guildhall, now renamed the O2 Guildhall Southampton, houses three multi-purpose venues for a variety of events.
Related
Vistafjord Exclusive Cruises Vistafjord Exclusive Cruises
Advert 1975 21 mins Location: Southampton
Enjoy this kaleidoscope of images taken aboard the MS Vistafjord - for an exclusive holiday cruise setting sail from Southampton
C.I.V.'s Marching aboard S.S. "Garth Castle" C.I.V.'s Marching aboard S.S. "Garth Castle"
1900 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
Volunteers prepare for the long journey to South Africa
Train Load of C.I.V.s Leaving Southampton Train Load of C.I.V.s Leaving Southampton
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Location: Southampton
Back in Blighty - after fighting in the Boer War, these volunteer soldiers are heading home to London and Middlesex
Embarkation of the C.I.V. For South Africa Embarkation of the C.I.V. For South Africa
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
City Imperial Volunteers head for the Boer War battleground
Coldstream Guards Embarking on Troopship Gascon Coldstream Guards Embarking on Troopship Gascon
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
This close view of departing troops gets up close and personal with soldiers off to the Boer War.
Lord Roberts Leaving for South Africa Lord Roberts Leaving for South Africa
Documentary 1899 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
With grim news from the Boer War, a popular military commander is given a fond farewell as he leaves to take command
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.