Manor House, Trafalgar Square and Clacton-on-Sea
Standard 8mm film Colour Mute 1960s 4:21
Summary: The Davis family relax outside their home on Woodberry Down Housing Estate in Manor House in summer time. We see the family in locations around London including Finsbury Park, Trafalgar Square and Pall Mall. The family enjoy a holiday in a caravan park in Clacton-on-Sea.
Title number: 19569
LSA ID: LSA/25952
Description: Very brief opening shot shows a woman walking through the Woodberry Down Housing Estate in Manor House, shot very far from above. Next shot is of a black-and-white photo of a young girl, with another child behind her. Then, outside the front door on a balcony on a tower block or housing estate of some sort, a boy wearing an official hat with a visor, a tie and beige jacket, possibly a postman's uniform. A young girl answers the door and takes a letter from him.
Another high-angle shot of the housing estate, with a group of children playing on some railings. Then, through some trees, a smartly-dressed woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk quickly along the pavement.
Now we see two girls, one in her early 20's, the other around ten - the older wears a tight-fitting yellow cardigan and has a large flicked early-60's hairdo with fringe. The youngest girl wears a yellow dress. We then see the older girl with a man around her age (presumably her boyfriend), who is muscular and wears a tight blue T-shirt. We then see the two girls with a slightly older man dressed more formally in a jacket, tie and red sweater-vest. They seem to be sat on a balcony on the housing estate; it is sunny and windy. The couple now walk along the pavement towards the camera, the young girl with them. The smartly-dressed older man then follows, also with the young girl at his side. They then all eat ice-cream sandwiches.
Next shot is of a very modernist 60's housing estate, with lots of glass, open space, and a river in the background. An extremely brief shot shows a sign in the grass, again shot from above. The younger man is then seen in close-up, relaxing in the sun.
We then cut to a shot of Manor House tube station, with the Manor House building clearly in view. It is a sunny day and red London buses drive past. The girl, still wearing her red dress as well as a red coat, sits in Finsbury Park eating something from a paper bag; she then does a hand-stand for the camera, then jumps over a ball in slow-motion. The older man, now wearing a grey suit, squints in the sun. Various other families enjoy the sun in the background. A dog chases a ball, and children ride a boat around the lake. The girl then walks through the flower beds, a very small girl in a white dress behind her.
We then see a close-up of a boy, maybe around 15-16, most likely the same boy who delivered the post at the start of the film. He is first seen indoors, then outdoors looking into the camera. We then cut to a woman in her 30's sat on a deck chair, shot in close-up (possibly the mother of the family?) - she wears red-tinted cat-eye sunglasses with an unusual white rim. She cradles a black cat.
Next, various shots of Trafalgar Square and the surrounding. area on a sunny day. We see Nelson's Column, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the National Gallery, the London Coliseum, the Houses of Parliament, Admiralty Arch, the Mall, an unidentified brown brick building, Whitehall. Shots of the square from above are followed by shots taken in the square at street level. Some dark shots are followed by trees shot from a moving vehicle, with a large 1950's modernist building in the background, followed by a shot of a caravan park.
The boy steps out of a blue caravan wearing a suit, followed by the girl in the red coat, the mother wearing a pink coat, then the father and the daughter again. The parents and daughter smile for the camera with the sea behind them, and enjoy a walk around the cliffs and seafront. A speedboat drives past in the distance. The kids enjoy a helter skelter at a funfair by the seaside. The mother writes something down on a table next to a car. The family then descends down a steep path towards the beach, the daughter in front. Now at the beach, the family sits and enjoys the sun; in the background we see other families, wind-breakers and tide breakers. The children build sandcastles. The mother, wearing a green sleeveless dress, walks past a row of beach huts, then the kids play in the sea. Back in the caravan park, the family sit outside on deck chairs. The father wears a blue shirt with a yellow sweater-vest. A brief shot shows the family walking down a suburban street, then the film finishes with a quick blurry shot of Clacton by night.
Further information: 19 September 1963
Keywords: Seaside; Family; Children; beach; Boats; Woodberry Down Housing Estate; Manor Park; postman; 60's bob; ice creams; beach ball; flower beds; caravan; helter-skelter; windbreaks; paddling; beach huts; 1960s fashions; cat
Locations: United Kingdom; England; London; Manor House; Finsbury Park; Woodberry Down Estate; Trafalgar Square; Essex; Clacton-on-Sea
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