back to search results

Library

1961 , Norwich (Norfolk)

Cat no. 642

No video

There’s no web video for this work.

Please do get in contact to discuss other ways you could view this work.

Documentary about the Free Library in Charing Cross, Norwich

This film opens with shots of the site cleared for the new library on Bethel Street. The City Hall is in the background. Men are at work on the foundations.The main subject of the film is the Norwich Free Library at Charing Cross. There is a close up shot of the trowel that laid the foundation stone of the Free Library. This was donated to the library in 1924. The commentary explains that the Library opened to the Public in 1827. The inscription on the trowel explains that it was presented by Lucy Bignold in 1921. Most of the film is shot inside the library. It shows the lending library, where people choose books. there is a shot of the staircase before a lengthy sequence about the children's lending library. A girl looks through the card index and there are several shots of the books, showing the types stored. There is a shot of the reading room and then of the reference library. There are close up shots of an old title deed. The camera zooms in on the lead seal that made the document official. There is a shot of an illustrated copy of the Book of Revelations and a parish map. The restoring of old documents is shown. The commentary makes the point that this work is rarely done within a public library. An archivist traces and then cuts a patch of vellum to repair an old document. This is trimmed and fixed. The library staff are seen at work. The plans for the new library are shown to the camera and the film ends with an exterior shot of the Free Library with traffic passing.

Featured Buildings

The City Hall; The Free Library

Keywords

Archives; libraries; public services

Other Places

Norwich

Background Information

The new Public Library, planned during 1945, was not completed until 1963. It burned down in 1994

Manifestations

Library

  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV250910
    Canonical Identifier
    A-556
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    negative
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    656172
  • Barcode
    INV234931
    Canonical Identifier
    VP-21
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Duration
    0:08:00
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    563245

Copyright restrictions apply.

Please see our terms of use. Films on this website are provided for personal viewing. Should you wish to use the films in any other way please contact eafa@uea.ac.uk

terms of use
The data for this page was generated on 05/05/2024 09:32:51+00:00. Click to regenerate this page .