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
Construction at Portsmouth Polytechnic
Portsmouth Polytechnic is about to rise from its foundations in this short 1968 film from George Sloane - and there isn't a hard hat to be seen
From the collection of:
Overview
This short film starts at a building site on which the new Portsmouth Polytechnic is about to be built. The demolished remains of previous buildings can be seen as diggers begin to excavate new foundations. Steel cages wait for their concrete infill as a batch of girders arrives on the site. After more views of the open building site we see two construction workers attacking older concrete structures with pneumatic drills.
Established in 1969, Portsmouth Polytechnic was the successor to the city's College of Technology. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Polytechnic expanded rapidly and by offering an increased number of syllabuses attracting more and more students, the institution became one of the largest polytechnics in the UK. The 1992 Further and Higher Education Act granted the Polytechnic university status. It thus became the University of Portsmouth and under the terms of the 1992 Act could validate its own academic degrees.
Related
Watch for free
Foundation of Beauty Foundation of Beauty
Advert 1930 8 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
The Foundation of Beauty is what lies beneath - as this parade of corsetted ladies reveal - with corsets to suit all shapes, sizes and ages
Watch for free
Key Key
Advert 1930 10 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
This enjoyable 1930s info-mercial shows how you can furnish your home -and have that dream kitchen - by using the PIMCO easy payment plan
Watch for free
H.M.S. "Powerful" Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour H.M.S. "Powerful" Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
A mighty naval cruiser returns home to Britain, covered in glory - and Nelson's ship is there to welcome it
Watch for free
H.M.S. Powerful Moored at Portsmouth H.M.S. Powerful Moored at Portsmouth
Non-Fiction 1900 0 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
Take a good look at one of the era's largest warships - the hefty H.M.S. Powerful, back from the Boer War
Watch for free
Portsmouth Guildhall Square Portsmouth Guildhall Square
Amateur film 1976 4 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
All sorts of building styles sit cheek-by-jowl in Portsmouth's redeveloped Guildhall Square - as George Sloane's mid 1970s film shows
Watch for free
Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill
Amateur film 1962 4 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
From the heights of Portsdown Hill you get a view of sixties Portsmouth and the distant Isle of Wight in this short film from F Howard.
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
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
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
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.