Greenwich: A People's Heritage
16mm film Colour Sound 1979 18:37
Summary: A government film on preserving the heritage of Greenwich.
Title number: 183
LSA ID: LSA/243
Description: This documentary proposes to consider the resolution of tensions between the needs of urban development and the desire to maintain the historic identity of Greenwich. It makes reference to careless planning decisions made in the past and the encroachment of industry and introduces the manner in which the people of Greenwich get to help shape their locality. There is film from a participatory planning committee, where a man make a case for 'conservation - not preservation' while others call for more facilities for children and for traffic controls. Visually however, little case is made for new development and the film falls back on the camera friendly heritage sites, taking in the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Park, River Thames, the Cutty Sark, Trinity Hospital, the Queen's House, the Royal Observatory and the marker point of the prime meridian. Only brief views of the entrance to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and of Greenwich Power Station indicate much of the compromises. The commentary is left to carry the story of how a community combines heritage with the needs of modern life, talking about the re-building of the historic town centre, the participatory planning process, the investment by the Department of the Environment, and London County Council and the role of the Borough Conservation Officer.
Credits: Director: Anthony Simmons; Producer: John Arnold; Producer: Leon Clore; Script: Anthony Simmons; Script: Leo Eton; Photography: Larry Pizer; Editor; Barney Greenwood; Commentator: David Warner; Sponsor: Department of the Environment; Sponsor: Central Office of Information
Keywords: Urban planning; Built heritage
Locations: United Kingdom; England; London; Greenwich
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