Elegy

A plaintive hymn to Hebden Bridge - and the decline of Methodism in the Pennines.

Please note this film is silent as the original soundtrack does not survive. This fine film is a plaintive hymn to Hebden Bridge - and a thoughtful essay on the decline of Methodism in the Pennines. The weakening of the chapel as a major cultural force in Yorkshire and Lancashire mirrors the decline of the region’s textile industries. The film, produced by documentary giant Denis Mitchell, was part of the Granada series This England.

Less well-remembered nowadays than Granada's World In Action, This England reflected a similar interest in a fresh interpretation of the contemporary world of a mass audience, but in the form of contemplative general interest documentary, often based around specific places, rather than current affairs reportage.