Kniveton Village and Parishioners

From the blacksmith to the milkman and the farmer toiling in the fields; all aspects of rural life in one Derbyshire village.

Everyday life rarely features in home movies - the camera is usually saved for special occasions. Here is an exception: Wilfred Ratcliffe captures rural life in the village of Kniveton in Derbyshire. It might not be truly candid, its subjects are very aware of the camera, but this time capsule that features the village blacksmith to the horse drawn milk wagon and the gossip around the water pump is a valuable record of pre-war rural life.

Wilfred Ratcliffe was chauffeur for local landowner Thomas Edward Wright who appears in the film and can be spotted as the gentleman wearing the suit and bowler hat.