The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is currently unavailable
Bradford Suburban
The hope for a bright post war future for this newly built council estate in Bradford in 1961, with dads tending the gardens and kids playing on jiggers in the streets.
From the collection of:
Overview
It’s the dawn of the 1960s and the idealism of post-war urban developers is in full view in this film of the birth of one of the largest council estates in Europe. The song ‘Little Boxes’, made famous by Pete Seeger, and written the year after this film, may well have been inspired by it. The Holmewood estate in Bradford looks very appealing, with children out playing and the new tenants clearly very house proud: a view of what promised so much, before it became what it did.
This film is one of very many made by the prolific Bradford filmmakers C.H. Wood, who are better known for their films of various motor sports. Presumably this was a film for Bradford City Council to promote the recently completed Holmewood housing estate, with its first tenants. The estate is now run jointly by Bradford Council and a social housing company, Incommunities. Traditionally its population has been white British, but in recent years new groups from different ethnic backgrounds have moved into the area, leading to increased tensions between the settled community and newcomers. However, over the last few years there have been several initiatives aimed at fostering better community relations.
Related
Milton Keynes - A Village City Milton Keynes - A Village City
Cinemagazine 1973 8 mins Location: Milton Keynes
"The most exciting thing going on in Europe, if not the world": welcome to Milton Keynes circa 1973.
Portsmouth's Charlotte Street Market Portsmouth's Charlotte Street Market
Amateur film 1977 6 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
The colourful bustle of Portsmouth's oldest street market features in this 1977 film – where traders and shoppers mix under the brooding presence of the infamous Tricorn Centre.
Telford Telford
School programme and Educational film 1977 9 mins Location: Telford
Six Shropshire villages combine and the new town of Telford is born.
Wolverhampton into the Seventies Wolverhampton into the Seventies
Documentary 1970 20 mins Location: Wolverhampton
Bricks and mortar makes way for concrete and reinforced steel as Wolverhampton sweeps the past aside in a modernist town planning utopia.
Chichester Tour Chichester Tour
Amateur film 1962 7 mins Silent Location: Chichester
A fascinating film showing the cathedral city of Chichester before the arrival of its ringroad and the pedestrianisation of its Roman streets.
Manchester Street Scenes (1901) Manchester Street Scenes (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 5 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A rare glimpse of early Edwardian Manchester when the horse-drawn tram still reigned supreme.
Bradford Laundry, Meat, and Coal Adverts Bradford Laundry, Meat, and Coal Adverts
Advert 2 mins Silent Location: Bradford
Meeting the everyday basic needs of the locals: keeping the family clean, warm and well fed.
Bradford Adverts Reel 1 Bradford Adverts Reel 1
Advert 1925 3 mins Silent Location: Bradford
Juno-Junipah, for girls, who “want to be bright, vivacious, attractive and slim”, and Carters Little Liver Pills to rejuvenate the elderly.
The Big Country The Big Country
Promotional 1970 16 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Tuning into the biggest consumer market for television advertising in Britain with Trident TV.
Bradford Adverts Reel 3 Bradford Adverts Reel 3
Advert 4 mins Silent Location: Bradford
No wearisome overblown advertising for cinema-goers back in 1931, just straightforward advice: don’t risk accidents and “Don’t buy a dud!”
Bradford Adverts Reel 2 Bradford Adverts Reel 2
Advert 1 mins Silent Location: Bradford
Without trying to be too clever, these advertisements demonstrate the virtue of the uncomplicated: short, sweet and memorable.
Bradford City: A Year of Healing Bradford City: A Year of Healing
Factual TV 1986 28 mins Location: Bradford
Numerous victims of the horrendous 1985 fire at Valley Parade manage to find positive outcomes to their suffering in this poignant film.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.
Edgar Wright on The Running Man Edgar Wright on The Running Man
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
The director talks to Mark Kermode about putting Stephen King's dystopian life-or-death gameshow thriller through its paces.
Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 69 mins
Richard Linklater discusses his remarkable and wide-ranging body of work, including Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.