The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Wellington Go Kart Race
Karts start hearts and minds racing in semi legal street race
In partnership with:
Overview
Handmade wooden go karts with pram tyres and string for precision steering are unleashed on the public in a street race in Wellington. Competitors in fancy dress are cheered on by the locals as residential street becomes track. The vehicles are powered by gravity tempered with a dash of madness from the driver as the incline and his or her weight, barring incident, force the kart to the finish line.
A gravity racer or soapbox is a motorless vehicle but has not as yet featured as a trial sport at the Olympic Games. The sport dates from 1934 in the USA and requires the competitor to design and manufacture a buggy and then road test it and race it downhill against the clock or other competitors. Today it is known as a Soapbox Race. The propulsion is all human and the gravity largely uncontrollable adding to the excitement as crashes are not unusual. Performed on road or snow, one new variant is the human powered glide machine which launches off cliffs with the winner being the one to travel the farthest before plummeting lemmingward to the ocean.
Related
The Flaming Tar Barrels of Ottery St Mary The Flaming Tar Barrels of Ottery St Mary
Current affairs 1978 2 mins Silent Location: Ottery St Mary
Unique tradition of Ottery St Mary’s flaming tar barrels rolls on
Haggis Hurling Haggis Hurling
News 1980 6 mins Location: Belfast
Meet the president leading the haggis hurling revival and learn how delivering lunch became a sport for kilted gentlemen.
Pipe Smoking Contest Pipe Smoking Contest
News 1963 3 mins Silent Location: Rathfriland
A piano player, a magician or sandwiches, which would motivate you to smoke the longest?
Stuntwoman Human Cannonball Stuntwoman Human Cannonball
News 1975 3 mins Location: Knebworth Ho
Human Cannonball Mary Connors has the guts and determination of any Olympian, proving she really is a she performing at Knebworth House, 1975.
Cheese Rolling Cheese Rolling
News 1960 1 mins Silent Location: Cooper's Hill
Injuries abound as the annual cheese rolling at Cooper's Hill near Brockworth claims its usual victims.
Tug of War Tug of War
News 1975 5 mins Location: Leicester
Their training regime includes lifting a lump of concrete into a tree - meet the Leicester tug-of-war team preparing to take on the world.
Austin: Officer Training Corps at Wrekin College Austin: Officer Training Corps at Wrekin College
Home movie 1935 5 mins Silent Location: Wellington
Preparing the next generation of officers on the playing fields of a Shropshire public school.
Smoke Your Own! Smoke Your Own!
Current affairs 1975 6 mins Location: Rockwell Green
Joe Margrove grows and cures tobacco for his own pleasure.
New Prefab Site New Prefab Site
News 1971 4 mins Location: Wellington
What to do when the post-war prefabs reach the end of their life? Build some new ones, at least that's the plan at Wellington on the Telford new town development.
The Wurzels in Wellington The Wurzels in Wellington
Current affairs 1968 1 mins Silent Location: Wellington
The Wurzels are carted around Wellington
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.