Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales (1926)

This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally restored by the BFI National Archive. Britain seen in colour for the first time was heralded as a great technical advance for the cinema audience - now we can view a much improved image, but one which still stays true to the principles of the colour process.

The rather haphazard journey from Land's End to John O'Groats creates a series of moving picture postcards. Look out for shots containing the component colours - red and blue-green - such as when a little girl in a red coat and hat walks among peacocks in the grounds of a castle, and three girls with red curly hair pose by the sea at Torquay.

The car is a Vauxhall D-type - considered a sporty model at the time. A long-distance journey by car was a relatively new concept, with none of the amenities en route now taken for granted. The visit to a petrol station shows smoking on the forecourt: no health and safety issues back then! The travelogue ends with a series of recognisable London landmarks. Much remains the same - one major exception being the volume of traffic on the roads. (Jan Faull)

For more information about 'The Open Road' see http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/openroad/

To buy the DVD click here - http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_6406.html

You can watch the whole of 'The Open Road' and 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• BFI
• Chepstow
• Wales
• Gwent
• 1920s
• travelogue
• cars

[TehWebby]

What's that car doing at the end??? It's only one way up there ;)

[talara18]

monmouthshire was part of England in 1926

[LetUsBeSocialTV]

Lovely old film I've never seen before

[CountryHouseGent]

@fiscalfreak Hi. Thought that was what I said, though I should have said British not English, though I always say I'm English as Britain or The UK technically no longer exists.

[fiscalfreak]

@CountryHouseGent - No mate - read your history again, the Welsh are the true British, lived in Britain long before the immigrants that became the english arrived.

[mrspivvy]

@cchallenger3985 nope. never has been. the river is the border between england and wales. and monmouthshire is on the welsh side. s'why chepstow is mon and tutshill, just a few hundred yards away over the water is Glos.

[CountryHouseGent]

Used to live in Chepstow for 25 years until 7 years ago. Now living in Lake District.

Went back there couple of years ago. What struck me was the strength of the Welsh accent there. When I was living there I never noticed it and always thought Chepstow was more English than Welsh.

What the Welsh hate most is that they are the true English, chased from England by the Normans into Wales back in the 1100's. That's always a good one to mention on a Friday night in the Queens :-()

By the way. Wha

[3tangle3]

@ld309 yeah the fool forgets welsh was spoken in herefordshire and worcestershire by welsh monoglots up until 1500 with welsh speaking communties within english border up until 1900s.....check it out :)

[3tangle3]

@cchallenger3985 its was annexed into england during 1536 as it was a particular catholic and rebellious place........the king wanted it under direct control of London....this is why you;re attempt to make monmouth english have failed......look at the fucking place names they are welsh originally...........old welsh was spoken in place now called england before english....comprehende?

[ld309]

@cchallenger3985 wrong