Torquay, Devon (1924)

Families on holiday at the popular seaside resort of Torquay.

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 -- www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• BFI
• 1920s
• Torquay
• Devon
• Felix
• seaside
• beach
• sea
• holiday
• redhead
• cityscape
• travelogue
• nature
• children
• swimming

[OneshotMas]

I'm from Torquay born and bred. It still is a beautiful place and as for a 16 yr old telling you its's a shithole, he is just a typical teenager who has the chav attitude towards everything in life. He could'nt see beautiful if it were tatooed on his forehead. By the way this footage is fantastic.

[lovetohavefungirl]

I love the quality of this film. It looks like it could have been made only 20 years ago. Sometimes I would have liked to have lived that long ago.

[Stryker146]

Torquay is far from being a shithole and if it is maybe it is the influx of people from the West Midlands who have made it so.

[xxwesdogxx]

Seeing old color footage like this really brings a whole new reality to the past.

[Silkara78]

Some of these children could still be alive! I wonder what it would be like to see themselves in this video? :)

[TehWench]

Everyone in this video is dead.

Makes you think.

[maxdamagus]

Devon's still a fantastic place!

[maxdamagus]

It's no coincidence the highest population of redheads are in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall/Devon.. as the South East is the first port of call for invading tribes and immigrants.

[maxdamagus]

@nixxjsteve they're called native Britons, Churchill: ginge, Queen Victoria and succession of royal family: ginge, Queen Bodica: ginge.. Red heads are native to these isles, and the north west of Europe, and were here long before Vikings.. What's with all the non-gingers? Immigrants..

[fenackerpan]

Good old Torquay.....now ruined by layabouts and wastrels

[nixxjsteve]

Whats with all the gingers?

[jiveroxiv]

I will be there on April 6, 2011

Torquay, Devon here I come...