Moving History - a guide to UK film and television archives in the public sector

Screen Archive South East

The Archive

The Screen Archive South East (formerly known as the South East Film & Video Archive) was established in 1992 and is part of the University of Brighton. The archive aims to collect, preserve, promote and provide access to film, video and digital media produced in, or relating to, the local authorities of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, Kent, Medway, Surrey and West Sussex. The archive is based at the University of Brighton and at the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester.

The Collection

Screen Archive South East, holds over 8000 films and some 10,000 lantern slides from the nineteenth century as well as a significant collection of apparatus and related artefacts relating to and originating from the South East of England. The archive holds many types of film productions including amateur home movies, corporate and advertising material, films made by groups and organisations in the region, educational films, some local newsreels, documentaries and short fiction films. The archive also holds copies of early films made by pioneer film-makers in the South East region at the turn of the twentieth century.

Places

The geographical areas featured in the collection include the local authority of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Kent, Medway, Surrey, and West Sussex. The archive holds many films that illustrate the rural and urban landscape of the region, including the cities of Brighton and Hove, Canterbury and Rochester and covering the larger towns such as Guildford, Godalming, Lewes, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Woking. The coastal areas of Sussex and Kent and their association with leisure and holiday making are a strong feature in the archive's collection and include resorts and towns such as, Brighton, Broadstairs and Margate. Much of the archive's collection is, however, dominated by the rural and agricultural heritage of the South East including village communities and areas such as the Ashdown Forest, the Sussex Downs, Romney Marsh, the hop-picking regions of Kent and the Surrey countryside. The archive also has a small collection of mainly amateur travel films featuring other parts of the world visited by residents of the South East.

Subjects and periods

The Screen Archive's film collection includes material that relates to a huge variety of subject areas from the 1890s to the present day, with the majority of material in the collection dating from the 1920s to 1960s. Some of the main themes that emerge from the collection include the region's association with pioneer film-makers, life in the region during the First and Second World Wars, footage of family events and everyday life, seaside resorts and tourism, rural and agricultural heritage, transport, commemoration and national events. The following offers some highlights from the collection:

Early cinema - The South East of England was at the forefront of the development of the UK film industry in the years 1896 to 1905 and Screen Archive South East has a strong interest in the history of the ‘Hove Pioneers’ and other early film-makers in the region from this period. These films include works by G.A.Smith, James Williamson, Cecil Hepworth, and Charles Goodwin Norton. The Screen Archive has a valuable selection of surviving films made by these pioneers from the 1890s (used with permission of the British Film Institute). These films also introduce us to the beginnings of film as a medium and provide an intriguing portrait of late Victorian and Edwardian England. To complement this work, the Screen Archive’s partner Hove Museum & Art Gallery has galleries devoted to the magic lantern and early film pioneers in the South East.

'Scene on Brighton Beach' (1896)
early scenes from the seaside at Brighton and Hove filmed by Robert Paul
'Attack on a China Mission' (1900)
fiction drama by J.Williamson inspired by the Boxer Rebellion and staged in Hove
'An Interesting Story' (1905)
a comedy filmed by J.Williamson, featuring a man flattened by a steam roller and then reinflated by a bicycle pump

War-time - The archive has many films in its collection which illustrate aspects of life in the region during the First and Second World Wars. First World War material includes films army regiments in training, the Women’s Land Army and scenes around the region during war-time. Items in the collection from the Second World War include, for example, amateur film of pre-war Germany in 1939, scenes of families making war preparations, bomb damage in Kent, air raid drills, the Home Guard in training, soldiers departing for the war, film on the evacuation of Dunkirk, scenes of every day life on the home front, and VE day celebrations in 1945. The archive also holds a large collection of film material from the Royal Sussex Regiment, dating from 1914 to the 1960s. These films include the Regiment on parade and in training in Sussex as well as on duty abroad including Korea in the 1950s and in Belfast in 1960.

'Surrey Women War Workers' (1917)
during the First World War, women in the Land Army demonstrate their agricultural skills at Cross Farm, at Shackleford, Surrey; women are seen working horse-drawn ploughs amongst other duties, and men inspect their work
'The Last Year of Peace' (1939-40)
a film by Kent based amateur film-maker Ernest 'Spot' Botting showing scenes and events in rural Kent such as the Egerton May Festival and heavy snow in the winter of 1939; the film ends with scenes of bomb damage in Kent and a girl posing for the camera between two large bombshells
'Air Raid Practice, Knoll School Hove' (c1940)
children at Knoll School in Hove practice putting on gas masks and perform an air raid drill
'VE Day Celebrations in Brighton' (1945)
men and women celebrate and dance in the streets of Brighton to mark the end of the Second World War

Family life - Screen Archive South East has an extensive collection of film representing home and family life in the twentieth century. Amateur films constitute approximately 50 per cent of the archive’s collection and a great deal of the subject matter of these films consists of family outings, holidays in the UK and abroad, events such as birthdays, weddings and christenings, the domestic interior and scenes of every day life in the home in the South East. The archive holds several large collections by amateurs, filming their family and home, including films made by the Surrey-based architect Joseph Emberton who filmed his family from the 1930s to the 1950s; films of the Gowland family in Sussex from the 1930s to the 1960s; and films by many other cine-camera owners from the 1920s to the 1970s.

'Joce and Gill at Home' (1936-1938)
film of the Emberton family at their home in Surrey, including the girls playing at home, a visit from the grandparents, tea in the garden, and Gillian being given medicine by the nanny
'John and Liz Wedding' (1962)
film of a family wedding, part of a collection of amateur films from the Gowland family from the 1930s to the 1960s showing the children as they grow up and, in the final films, with children of their own
'Christmas 1970' (1970)
film of domestic scenes on Christmas day, including a little girl opening presents, meal preparations and the traditional Christmas dinner, including carving the turkey, pulling crackers, and Christmas pudding; and, as 1970 saw a white Christmas in the South East, the film ends with a snowball fight in the garden

Seaside Leisure - The archive holds many examples of seaside publicity films made to advertise the region’s coastal towns as tourist resorts. These films range from the 1920s to the 1980s and feature towns such Bognor Regis, Worthing, Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Folkestone, Dover, Broadstairs and Margate. The archive also holds films promoting the rural and inland regions such as the Weald of Kent and the Sussex Downs. Such films provide official portraits of the resorts themselves, but also serve to illustrate the development the tourist industry and provide an insight into the values and aesthetics of the publicity medium and of the times. The amateur holiday films in the collection also provide a visual history of leisure in the seaside towns and other destinations in the South East across the twentieth century, such as camping and caravan holidays, trips to the seaside and funfairs, and family picnics in the countryside.

'Magical Margate' (1923)
a hand-tinted silent film with inter-titles promoting the delights of Margate and the 'restorative powers' of the sea air
'Brighton' (c1957)
a publicity film by John King promoting the tourist town of Brighton in 1957, including views around the town, the 'Promettes', the seafront hotels, cinemas, and other attractions
'All Go Margate' (1970)
a publicity film for Margate presented by Michael Aspel, advertising the attractions of the resort with a distinctive up-beat 1970s feel, showing women bathing on the beaches in bikinis, the discotheques, and other sights and amenities
'Our Holiday' (1960s)
amateur film of a trip to the seaside in the South of England, including ice-cream, games, a miniature railway, boating, a caravan park, beach scenes and the pier

Regional and national events - Events of commemoration and celebration have been regularly captured on film, both amateur and professional, throughout the twentieth century. Many of the films in the archive include local celebrations of events such as the Jubilees of 1935 and 1977, the funeral of King George V in 1936, the Coronation of King George VI in 1937 and of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, VE day parties in 1945, the Festival of Britain celebrations in the region in 1951, the annual London to Brighton veteran car rally, and many scenes of royal visits, carnivals and village fairs, May Fairs, parades, demonstrations and sporting events.

'Sussex 1939' (1939)
a film by Ernie Trory of Communist Party demonstrations in Sussex, a Party Congress and a May Day parade in Hastings
'Festival at Whitstable(1951)
the Whitstable Festival Week, August 1951, with a programme of activities including exhibitions, fancy dress, a marching band, and dancing
'Old Rectory Fete' (1953)
colour amateur film of a village fete at Horsted Keynes, Sussex; the film shows typical scenes such as a cake stand, a horticultural show, donkey rides and games, and ends with a demonstration of ballroom dancing
'Silver Jubilee at Wye' (1977)
street celebrations in the Kent village of Wye for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, including a parade with floats, fancy dress, and evening illuminations

Rural life - The rural landscape of the South East of England features in many of the films in the archive's collection which provide a portrait of life in rural villages and work on the land in the region. The hop farming industry which flourished in Kent has been captured well on film including fascinating material on hop-pickers, often from the east-end of London, who came to Kent in the early autumn to harvest the crops. Other agricultural activities include wheat and corn harvesting, fruit orchards, mink farming, sheep and dairy farming, rabbit and game hunting, and the Women’s Land Army during the First World War. Film of rural and village events and activities such as 'Rogation Sunday' where the priest blesses the land, agricultural shows, village fairs, rural crafts and harvest festival celebrations also feature in the collection. Fishing activities in the region are also to be found, including boats departing from Brighton and Hastings and returning with their catches, the packing of fish for distribution and the mending of nets.

'In The Garden of England' (1938)
a picturesque film by Bill and John Barnes illustrating rural scenery and agriculture in Kent including horse drawn ploughing, fruit farming and hop-picking in the late 1930s
'Hoplands of Kent' (1930s)
a documentary film directed by Mary Field for Gaumont, focusing on the hop-picking process from start to finish and includes scenes showing women and children harvesting the hops
'Local Industries and Farming' (1947)
film featuring images of working life in Kent such as a steel factory, sheep market, potato farming, and fishing
'Fishing at Brighton' (1996)
a video following a modern fisherman at work, showing the trawler leaving Brighton Marina and the catch of the day being packed for despatch

Recent and Current material - The most recent material held by the Screen Archive is video footage commissioned by the archive, depicting the visit by the Queen to the new City of Brighton and Hove in 2001. Recent holdings in the collection also include oral history material produced by Brighton’s Jewish Heritage Project. The Screen Archive is also establishing a collection of regionally-made short films.

Production types

Amateur films - The majority of the archive's collection consists of amateur film footage such as family home movies, the filming of local events, and amateur fiction. The archive’s amateur material is exemplified by collections of films such as those by architect Joseph Emberton of his family, his travels and events of the times; the films of the Gowland family of their children as they grew up, their family events and holidays; and the films of Enid Briggs recording family scenes as well as events in and around Broadstairs across the 1930s. Many film collections made by amateur cine societies from the region are also held and include those made by societies in Sevenoaks, Brighton, Bognor Regis and Haywards Heath. The cine societies often made films recording local events of importance such as royal visits, storms, carnivals, and current fashions. The making of short amateur fiction films were also a feature of many of these societies.

'Pageant of Ashdown Forest' (1929)
amateur film by film enthusiast, Percy Nightingale, of a historical pageant in Ashdown Forest, which included Christopher Milne as a boy, acting out the Winnie the Pooh stories with his friends dressed as characters from the books
'Town and Family Scenes at Broadstairs' (1929-38)
this film by woman film-maker, Enid Briggs, shows scenes around Broadstairs such as, 'Miss Bullock's Keep Fit Class', a marching military band, and damage caused by a storm
'Is This Your Life?' (1957)
an amateur fiction film production by the Sevenoaks Cine Society, about a man's day at the office and a woman's day at home offering images of the stereotypical gender roles of the time
'Enough to Make Your Hair Curl' (1976)
amateur film about a Hair Salon in Folkestone following the activities of the day starting with opening the salon in the morning at 9am to the close of the working day

Corporate and organisational films - The archive holds an interesting selection of film material mainly produced or commissioned by local firms and organisations in the region. Amongst the corporate material held in the archive, the largest collections are films made by Dennis, manufacturers of fire engines and other heavy vehicles in Guildford, and Shippam, a firm producing meat and fish paste in Chichester who commissioned advertisements for the company and its products from 1933 to 1960. The archive also holds films commissioned by civic and public bodies in the region. Significant collections of films in the archive made for public services, institutions and the military include; the Royal Sussex Regiment, Surrey Fire Brigade, West Sussex County Council, as well as several hospitals, children’s homes, charities and other organisations in the region. One of the largest collections in the archive from a single organisation is a recent acquisition from the Bluebell Railway line.

'The Southern Railway Servant's Orphanage at Woking' (c1928-33)
film of the orphanage founded in 1885 by the railway men, showing the work of the orphanage, the children at play and learning practical skills. 'Southern Railway Orphanage' (1950-52) shows the continuing work of the orphanage
'St Bartholomew's Hospital' (1929)
a promotional film for a pre-NHS era Hospital in Rochester, depicting patients arriving in an ambulance, the operating theatre, the opthalmic department, and children's ward; the film finishes with the statement that 'the hospital needs 9d every minute’
'A Family Tradition' (1953)
a promotional film for the Shippam food processing factory in Chichester, showing the production line and the employees
'The Dennis Factory and its Products' (1968)
film of the Dennis heavy vehicle factory and the finished vehicles
'Mind Your Back' (1970s-80s)
one of several films made by the West Sussex County Council to promote health and safety issues in the workplace

Local topicals and newsreels - The archive holds a number of 'Local Topical' newsreels from the region dating from the 1910s to the 1950s showing local scenes and events, including film of the 1913 Epsom Derby where suffragette Emily Davison jumped in front of the King’s horse, as well as film of her funeral. Other films include military and church parades, sporting fixtures, the opening ceremony for a cinema in Croydon in 1914 and scenes of Christmas shopping in Surrey in the 1920s

'Godalming Church parade' (1911)
a parade in the rain, including local dignitaries, the fire brigade, a brass band and the public watching the event as well as looking at the camera
'Funeral procession of the Woman Who Dared' (1913)
funeral of Emily Davison who died after jumping in front of the King's horse at the 1913 Derby
'Band of Hope Demonstration' (1913)
a parade by the temperance movement on Brighton seafront

Key Film-makers

Pioneer Film-Makers in the South - In the 1890s, film studios were built at Hove and Walton and the pioneers Cecil Hepworth, James Williamson and G. Albert Smith became international figures in the earliest days of film history. Films made by these pioneers include early comedies, dramas and scenes of the seaside at Brighton and Hove. These films introduce us not only to the ‘pioneer’ film makers working in the South East, and particularly in Hove, and in Surrey, but to the beginnings of the medium of film itself. Viewing copies of the major works relating to the region are, with permission of the BFI, available to view at Screen Archive South East.
Enid Briggs - Enid Briggs is rare early example of a woman amateur film-maker in the 1920s and 30s. She actively recorded events in the region offering fascinating portraits of life in Broadstairs and around Kent. The shows of 'Uncle Mack' and his minstrels who performed on Broadstairs’ seafront for over 50 years are captured, as are local events and family outings.
Ernest 'Spot' Botting - The films of Ernest Botting form a record of agricultural and village life in Kent in the 1930s from the perspective of an amateur film-maker. His films include titles such as 'The Last Year of Peace' (1939-40); his record of Kent at the start of the Second World War
Barnes Brothers - Twin brothers, Bill and John Barnes (b1920) produced a collection of films of Kent in the 1930s. They include 'In the Garden of England' (1938), which surveys the agricultural year in Kent, 'Gypsies', which follows a group of Roma families in East Kent during the summer of 1938, and 'The Wheat Harvest' (1935) filmed near Canterbury.

Other related collections

The Screen Archive has a growing commitment to the history of the magic lantern which predates the development of film but represents an important element within the history of screen practice. The archive collects and preserves lantern slides and apparatus as well as film cameras and projectors from the 1920s to the present.

Bill and John Barnes over the years, developed a vast collection of film apparatus, publications, photographs and ephemera relating to the early history of film-making. Hove Museum & Art Gallery, Screen Archive South East’s partner, now holds this prestigious 'Barnes Collection' which includes early film apparatus and printed materials on early film-making in the South East.

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