Description: The film opens with black and white footage of the inside of a derelict building with what look like cells with bars across them. The building is old, dirty and decaying. 1’05” Shots of the light showing through the design of large doors which then open to reveal the outside and a graveyard with crosses. 1’43” Shots of two elderly people, one in a hospital-style bed, one drawing. Throughout this sequence a male voice recites a psalm (the narrator is possibly the priest seen in subsequent shots). The commentary then talks about God/the holy spirit guiding us through our troubles.

2’01” A white car drives from the front gates along the drive and pulls up outside a large building, Newington Lodge. Elderly people walk in the grounds. A priest gets out of the car and makes the sign of the cross and saying a blessing before entering the building. The commentary talks about the old people in residence in the building not knowing about God.

2’48” Shot of elderly people in the canteen area. A waitress collects a cup. An elderly woman mimes playing the piano, whilst a real piano is played. Another dances round the room. An elderly man does some basket work. A female voice says when she was in the canteen she felt she was in a ‘mental home’ and laughs.

3’15” A table with various items on including a photograph of a soldier, a religious picture and statuette, a birthday card, soap , toothbrush and possibly talcum powder. A female voice talks about nearing the goal (of death) every day.

3’26” An elderly man speaks about wanting to stay even though he’d been asked to leave and even if they pull it down. He walks outside arm in arm with an elderly lady. He says he has people there that he goes around with and that’s all he wants. He has refused to go to other places.

4’17” An elderly man plays a harmonica. Another does ‘tricks’ with a cigarette. An elderly woman talks about getting used to and tolerating the people there despite some people being rude/difficult. Another licks a doll. Her nose is running. 5’45”Elderly women sit around a table and are given food whilst a nurse administers medicines from a trolley.

6’01” Shots of elderly people outside the building. Commentator says some people are afraid of the outside world and prefer to stay inside where they don’t need to make any decisions. 6’24” New commentator talks about thinking things are alright.

6’45” New commentator talks about Mr Blacksol (?) opening up the woodshed after breakfast to chop and saw wood and organise it into cartons with a ration for each ward which the domestic help collected and used to light fires. Footage of a man doing this. He also bales newspapers. Commentator says this man had been there for 20 years and never attempted to go to the front gate in that time.

7’24” Elderly woman talks about finding dead birds along the Embankment, that had starved. Footage of her feeding pigeons and then sitting and breaking bread up into fine bits suitable for the birds.

8’22” A man smoking and reading a derogatory poem which he says is his favourite attempt to describe the place he has the ‘misfortune’ to find himself in but which he states is the ‘understatement of the century’. Footage of life at the Lodge; resident eating, women buttering loaves of bread. Cartoons accompany the poem. A signature shown at the end – possibly Leon Handy.

10’06” An elderly man stands on a wall and ‘rants’ to a crowd about living in an old people’s home and his small allowance. The crowd seem amused by him. He says he wonders why he fought in World War I for freedom when people in the country are starving to death.

11’08” Footage of a hospital-style ward. A voice is heard mumbling incoherently. A priest talks at the bedside of the person. Footage of infirm residents on the ward. The priest says goodbye.

12’07” A coffin shrouded in a cloth with a cross on is wheeled through the building on a trolley. A voice recites the words to the hymn ‘There is a green hill far away’ and ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’ 12’31” Photographs of an old woman. Commentary talks about death and spirits.

12’52” A man in a cap walks out of the main entrance and places flowers in the back of a hearse. The priest and funeral attenders also leave the building. Commentary talks about the procedures for cleaning and arranging the body when a person dies. The hearse leaves with undertaker staff walking with it.

14’40” Sound of an elderly woman singing ‘My Little Grey Home in the West’. Shot of a large stone archway with four large pillars beside it. Shots of a cemetery. Footage of the woman singing.