Detail
Theme Rural Life
The rural landscape of the South East of England features in many of the films in the archive's collection. They 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 and includes fascinating material on hop-pickers who came to Kent, often from the east-end of London, 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 agricultural shows, village fairs, rural crafts and harvest festival celebrations also feature in the collection. Examples include 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) is 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) features images of working life in Kent such as a steel factory, sheep market, potato farming, and fishing.
Films in this theme:
Showing 1 to 15 of 343 results.
![[The Seasons at Otford] (ca.1959) A Still from [The Seasons at Otford] (ca.1959)](/wp-content/uploads/films/6150/image_a_thumb.jpg)
[The Seasons at Otford]
Date | 1944 | ID | 6150 |
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In this film, Mr. Newman documents a year in Otford, filming the countryside around Otford, as the seasons change over the year.
[The Country Show] or [A Country Cattle Show] or [Country Sports]
Date | [1897?] | ID | 8413 |
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The high jump, sack race and obstacle course are interspersed with footage of spectators in this film by Charles Goodwin Norton from the mid to late 1890s.
Sheep Washing; or, Washing Sheep
Date | [1899?] | ID | 8420 |
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Sheep washed in a river is filmed by Charles Goodwin Norton in the late 1890s.
The Old Chorister
Date | 1904 | ID | 8392 |
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Superimposition conveys an old man's reminisces and apparitions after hearing choral singing in this James Williamson production.
A Day in the Hayfield
Date | 1904 | ID | 8406 |
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Men and children are seen at work and play in a hayfield in this 1904 film by Cecil Hepworth.
![[Shooting Duck at Mill Pond; The Park Coverts Broomwicks Pheasants and Rabbits] (ca.1920) [Shooting Duck at Mill Pond; The Park Coverts Broomwicks Pheasants and Rabbits] (ca.1920)](/wp-content/uploads/films/4901/image_a_thumb.jpg)
[Shooting Duck at Mill Pond; The Park Coverts Broomwicks Pheasants and Rabbits]
Date | [ca. 1920] | ID | 4901 |
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This film features hunting activities at a grand country estate including shooting duck at the Mill Pond and a pheasant and rabbit shoot taking place in various locations around the estate.

Warnham Court; The Home of C. J. Lucas
Date | [ca. 1920] | ID | 4904 |
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This black and white family film shows a group of men playing golf on the Warnham Court estate, followed by highlights of Tennis (doubles) and a cricket match. The family watch from the terrace next to the house. The final film with intertitles shows a beekeeping film, demonstrating how to create an artificial hive. Two men use their bare hands to handle the bees.
[Arundel]
Date | [ca. 1920s?] | ID | 8144 |
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A film showing a man walking down a rural lane smoking a cigarette, cutting to a shot of two men and a woman in portrait eating a banana in the countryside.
[Bognor High Tide]
Date | [ca. 1920s?] | ID | 8145 |
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This two film compilation shows a very brief shot of a car driving through a flooded street in Bognor, followed by intertitled scenes showing a woman carding some wool; spinning wool by hand and later using a spinning 'Jenny' wheel before weaving cloth using a loom; end title.
[Goodwood Races]
Date | [ca. 1920s?] | ID | 8146 |
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This film shows views of Goodwood race track, with crowds sat on the grassy bank and litter scattered on the grass. Cars entering through a gate; closing with several horses entering the track.
[Goodwood [?]]
Date | [ca. 1920s?] | ID | 8147 |
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A compilation showing a country road filmed from a moving vehicle; views of the Goodwood track and estate; portraits of two men and a woman sat on grass; followed by views of a village from a moving vehicle [?].
[Country Bridge]
Date | [ca. 1920s ?] | ID | 8172 |
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This brief film shows two women walking across a bridge over a river in the countryside, later seated on a style, lighting cigarettes. The film closes with the women sat in long grass smoking and posing for the camera.
Tansy
Date | 1921 | ID | 8929 |
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The story of Tansy, a shepherd's granddaughter, who is adored and mistreated by the men in her life, told over nearly an hour of footage and intertitles. Scenes are shot on location, setting action in the rolling hills of the Devon countryside, as well as interior sets. Intertitle styles make visual distinctions between spoken phrases by the characters, shown in bold white type over black, and the writer's voice, which is conveyed by elaborate script over the same still image. Several interjections are made by Hepworth himself, remarking on the narrative as it unfolds.
![[Red Deer at Warnham Court Park] (ca.1925) A still from [Red Deer at Warnham Court Park] (ca.1925)](/wp-content/uploads/films/4900/image_a_thumb.jpg)
[Red Deer at Warnham Court Park]
Date | [ca. 1925] | ID | 4900 |
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A combination of black and white and tinted film showing scenes of a Red Deer herd in the wooded Warnham Park estate, with close-ups of several animals. The final few seconds of the film appears to show a derailed train and men assessing the wreckage.

The Young Squire's Wedding at Warnham Court
Date | 7 June 1923 | ID | 4902 |
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This black and white film shows the wedding of Charles Eric Lucas ('Joe') and Doris Brander ('Biddy') on the 7th of June 1923. The film also shows some scenes filmed at a later date showing Biddy and Joe with a baby.
Showing 1 to 15 of 343 results.