East Anglian Year 1960

Compilation of scenes and events in East Anglia in 1960.

This is a series of films put together by BBC East as a review of the year 1960 in the Eastern Counties. 1) The first film shows the enthronement of Launcelot Fleming as the Bishop of Norwich by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archdeacon of Canterbury. The Bishop knocks on the West Door and the procession enters. Crowds wait outside. We see the interior of the Cathedral and the congregation waiting. This sequence ends with a shot of the Cathedral through the Erpingham Gate. (43 secs.) 2) The second film shows different shots of the same occasion. We see the inside of Norwich Cathedral and hear the service. At the end bugles sound. (1 min 39 secs.) 3) The third film is on a loose theme of royal visits during the year. The first shows the Queen Mother, accompanied by Lord Leicester at the wedding of Lord Leicester's daughter, Lady Kerry Coke, at the parish church at Holkham. The bride and groom are filmed as are the waiting crowd. Princess Alexandra visits RAF Wattisham where she greets families of servicemen and sees 111 squadron in action before it was disbanded later that year. The Duke Of Edinburgh visits the National Trust Property of Wicken Fen in his capacity as Patron of the Council For Nature. The Duke sees swallowtail butterflies released into the wild. That day the commentary informs us that he also saw Orfordness and Flatford Mill. The Duke leaves by helicopter. Sir Charles McLean, the Chief Scout, visits the Norfolk International Jamboree in August. The Scouts are filmed camping and chopping wood and washing up. They canoe Lord McLean across the lake. Aboard HMS Ganges Sir John Hunt awards silver medals to boys who have completed the Duke Of Edinburgh award scheme. Lord Mountbatten of Burma is filmed visiting the Royal Hospital School at Holbrook in July. In September at Yarmouth women parade for the Miss Battle Of Britain 1960 title. This is judged by comedian Charlie Drake. Hugh Gaitskill visits the Wellington Pier Pavilion for a conference in May. The High Commissioner for India, Mrs. Pandit visits Norwich to open Norwich Commonwealth Week. She arrives at City Hall in the Lord Mayor's coach. There are interior scenes showing her speech to the Lord Mayor of Norwich, Michael W.B. Bulman, and to the City Council. This is greeted with loud cheers. (4 mins 40 secs.) 4) This section is mute and therefore harder to follow. It begins with some dockside scenes and cuts to a meeting. There are shots of men and women on bicycles and then of men 'clocking in'. There is a shot of a town and of a group of men gathered. There are shots of golf being played on the Earlham Golf Course in Norwich and then shots of ruined house in Ashbourne Street and Ber Street, the latter certainly in Norwich. The village sign at Feltwell is shown. There is a CND march through the village, including groups from Norwich and Kings Lynn. An aeroplane takes off at RAF Feltwell. The final item in this section contains sound. This is a debate about the pigeons on the town hall in Ipswich. A local man is interviewed. He likes the pigeons, although comnig from Birmingham he is aware of the damage they caused there. (2 mins 41 secs.) 5) This sequence, also mute, is on the theme of agriculture. The first shots are of a crop spraying demonstration. There are shots of cows in a field and then signs warning of Foot And Mouth Disease. Pens are cleaned and a car is disinfected as it leaves the farm. A dignitary visits farmers. There are scenes of the Royal Norfolk Show showing livestock shows, steam engines and show jumping. Another sequence shows a farmer watering his crops, drawing water from a nearby river. Flood waters are shown with AA signs indicating a way into the Sugar Beet Factory at Cantley. There are shots of lambs and of cattle in (very) small pens. (3 mins 34 secs.) 6)This sequence looks at buildings in East Anglia, new and old. There are shots of Orford Hill in Norwich showing the Bell Hotel with the structure of the new Norwich Union building rising behind it. In Holt there are shots of the town centre following its recent renovation. Shots taken before this are shown in contrast. In Aylsham a shop collapsed under renovation. This has been rebuilt and is opened by 'Mr. Pastry,' comedian Richard Hearne. He walks through a window and then goes up on the roof for the Roof Wetting Ceremony. The ?100,000 sea defence at Hunstanton feature and the high water in the rivers from late rains is filmed. These scenes show swollen rivers, flooded meadows and a flooded road. At South Lynn there is film of the railway bridge being demolished. This is contrasted with scenes of building the new road bridge at Haddiscoe. The final feature in this sequence shows construction work underway on the new ?140,000 indoor swimming pool at St. Augustines, Norwich. (4 mins 3 secs.) 7) The sequence on sport in the region has actual sound but no commentary. There are shots of fishing from a pier. There is paragliding and water-skiing as well as power boat racing. There are shots of go-carting, racing cars, basketball and golf. A man talks about Norfolk having won 6/10 matches. It is not clear to what he is referring, although the film cuts to shots of cricket. Mr. Hagen is interviewed about Peterborough United being voted into the Football League. The scenes of football that follow show Norwich City drawing 1-1 with Sheffield United. Hamilton scores for Sheffield United before Alcock equalises for Norwich. (6 mins 48 secs.) 8) The final sequence, accompanied by music but no commentary, shows a collection of fairground organs. (1 min 39 secs.)

Featured Buildings

Holkham Church; Norwich City Hall; Ipswich Town Hall; St. Augustines Swimming Pool; Bell Hotel, Norwich; Norwich Cathedral; Wellington Pier Pavilion

Featured Events

Enthronement of the Bishop Of Norwich on 18 November 1959; Norwich Commonwealth Week; Wedding of Lady Kerry Coke

Keywords

Agriculture; Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Enthronments; Royal Visits; Sport

Other Places

Aylsham Holt; Cantley; Haddiscoe; Holbrook; Holkham; Hunstanton; Feltwell; Great Yarmouth; Ipswich; Norwich; Holbrook; South Lynn; Wattisham; Wicken

Background Information

The shots of Earlham Golf Course may indicate a news story that this has been designated as the site for the University of East Anglia.The swimming pool at St. Augustines was closed during 1997 and then demolished.