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Essex Village

1957 , Finchingfield (Essex)

Cat no. 572

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A tourist explores the village of Finchingfield and talks to the inhabitants about the changing aspects of rural life.

The film shows a tourist checking his map outside a cottage. It urges him to talk to the old inhabitants of a place to find out about it. Later in the film he is seen talking to Jimmy Green, a resident who appeared in an earlier film about Finchingfield, 'Around the Village Green'. There are shots of the streets of the village and of the village green and pond. A bus waits by the Green. There is a shot of the derelict smock mill followed by shots of cottages and streets in the village. The disused village pump features. There are shots of the Church of St. John the Baptist and then of shops. A telephone box is outside the village store. In the context of changes to rural areas and potential youth employment, the film shows some old industries and skills that were dying out. The water mill is shown, with cattle grazing in the meadows. Elderly farm workers are seen scything. A thatcher and then the village blacksmith are filmed at work. Neither of these two craftsmen have apprentices. There are shots of a straw dolly maker at work. New skills are emphasised. There are scenes of a threshing sequence with a steam powered threshing machine. C.V. Swift, an agricultural engineer, features and in a contractor's yard a man mends part of a binder. There are shots of an urban street before the film finishes with further shots of the village. These include people going about their daily business and feature many different forms of transport. These include motor cars, motor cycles, a double decker bus, (destination Braintree) and lorries. A man climbs a stile and walks along a public footpath, also signposted Braintree. The man leaves the village, passing the Green Man and the Red Lion Public houses.

Featured Buildings

The Windmill; The Watermill; The Green Man public house; The Red Lion public house

Keywords

Crafts; Straw dollies; Transport; Village life

Background Information

This Church is not actually Finchingfield Church. This doesn't have a lychgate.

Manifestations

Essex Village

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