Plymouth Hoe, Devon (1924)

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://www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore

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
• 1920s
• Plymouth
• Hoe
• Hooe
• Devon
• Children
• Golf
• Bowls
• swimming
• sea
• pool
• children
• travelogue
• seaside
• holidays

[musicalsimsy]

Filmed 85 years ago yet in colour- absolutely amazing. thanks for sharing

[YKTurner1]

The little rock poole where the blonde boy is playing is where I learned how to swim! It's now been concreted over to make way for a see wall looks horrid..

[Niftified]

The war memorial in the background was unveiled on 30th July 1924 which can't have been long before this was filmed! Thankfully someone has researched this from the Western Morning News. I couldn't find any unveiling dates on the actual monument whereas every other monument on the Hoe does!

[Rubbaduckie1975]

brilliant footage! all the bowlers in their boaters, and the people swimming in the seapool that has now been concreted over. fabulous x

[mrsyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

ty for sharing

[blade0954]

amazing footage,a rare glimpse of bygone years,that young blond lad at the end will be 90 odd now

[arthursmaid]

that is an amazing bit of film My dad was born in 1923 but he did not have blond hair !

[thatguy30000]

I meant boy.

[thatguy30000]

Uhh... There is a good chance that the boy & girl at the end are still alive right now.

[robpatton1990]

All those people are dead :(

[puttpitch]

Putting still there now run by PFM Leisure. Come and have a go and mention you have seen the video clip.

Also at Central Park Pitch and Putt.