A Visit to Syon
16mm film unknown Sound 1971 19:40
Summary: Film about Syon Gardening Centre, a national exhibition of gardening. Part of the ICI Industries Film Library.
Title number: 410
LSA ID: LSA/534
Description: An ariel view of impressive countryside an an imposing large white house(Syon House) and landscaped gardens with a large woodland area which appears very orderly and well maintained. A river runs through the woodland and a beautiful white domed pavilion building (the great conservatory) comes into view with impressive pathways leading to and around the building.
Views of people arriving at Syon Park Gardening centre, a family park an Austin Mini Mk II countyman estate in the car park, and a young couple jump off a red bus, a taxi pulls up and a commissioner opens the door of the cab, a middle aged tourist couple dressed for a day out leave the cab, and the man wearing a straw hat and with a camera pays the driver.
A box office view shows people entering the venue, a number of people are entering at Gate 3, where they receive maps of the park, the young couple look excitedly at a plan of the Gardening Centre on a wall to map out their day.
Screen Title; The Gardening Centre Syon Park Presents
A visit to Syon: The National Exhibition of Gardening
Our young couple walk across a beautiful lawn pass a metal sculpture, a group of smartly suited men are gathered around, on eof whom is Percy Thrower who points and gestures as if to indicate to the group of men how the garden centre is layed out. Our couple who arrived by Taxi stop by an information machine and appear to receive helpful advice as they nod and smile. A mature couple of women walk along the path,suddenly one stops and puts her arm out to stop her friend to point out and admire a distinctive tree.
Views of woodland gardens, and large impressive and mature trees(swamp cyprus with breathing roots),people stop and admire the view along a garden path, and their are many different varieties of trees and shrubs. A lake has ducks entering the water, and various scenes of people walking along a path enjoying the many different trees and plants.
A variety of smaller gardens are show, with very different designs, a family with two small children walk through the garden and run towards a small white steel bridge,a couple walk through a greenhouse, a man with a bow tie admires a bordered garden with large square timber blocks that frame the garden he stops and puts a hand on one of the wooden blocks to inspect ,another man stops and takes a picture of impressive plants in large pots.
A number of well kept manicured lawns are seen, a couple of women walk across the lawn and admire the bedding plants. high up on a doric column we see a statue of a woman who is 'Flora goddess of gardens', below her are impressive rose gardens and a woman stoops to smell the beautiful rose, in the background we can see the impressive building of Syon House, beautifully framed between the roses and a tree.
A woman in a floral patterned dress stops and picks up a leaflet for Rose Plus. A young couple are reflected in a pool of water, other people are seen inspecting different plants and flowers, a middle aged couple of women stop and admire some plants and seem to be debating what it is before looking at the label at the base of the plants, which is labelled No. 28 and they both smile at the recognition. Further views of different flowers, shrubs, and plants with identifying labels.
A woman walks through an allotment with two small children, and joins her husband and another couple as the walk around the area.
A small garden building has a banner that reads 'Living in the Garden Week Garden Design Service', a man in dark glasses puts up a garden umbrella,a couple are joined by a small boy on a swinging garden chair,a number of garden chairs are seen and a woman tries one out as a salesman stands attentively by. Scenes of water sprinklers, people walking through a garden centre admiring products, a demonstration of a lawn mower is taking place, a man talks expertly to a group pf people a woman in a large floral hat and sun dress stands on the side attentively watching and listening, a number of exhibitors are seen, and a montage of flowers are shown.
A number of women are inspecting floral arrangements on long tables in a competition format, a number of floral arrangements are show with representing different counties, Devon,Lancashire and Yorkshire. An outdoor swimming pool shows a man fully dressed stretching on a diving board, his girlfriend runs up and grabs him,pulling him to the side and not pushing him in!
Our middle aged female couple walk down some formal and grand stands, perhaps imaging that they are leaving their stately home, our young couple are sitting down on a garden table and chairs imaging that they are having a drink.
A stone man made out of volcanic rock stands impressively before our tourist couple that we met at the start of the film, they wander around a small ornamental pond, as two children skip around them and the pond, ahead is the impressive Great Conservatory, our tourist couple walk through a formal garden of tropical design,they enter the conservatory and see exotic plants such as fuchsias,orchids and a gloxinia waterloo plant, a woman in a formal outfit admires a Plumbago Caplnsis while reading her programme.
A young boy with a smart bow tie sits on small rockery admiring coy fish in a pond, a small girl sits below him-perhaps his sister-also admiring the fish, as they calmly and serenely swim around the pond.
People walk over an a small bridge as a couple relax on the bankside and feed a duck. Our couple of women enjoy a well earned break and have a cup of tea, a man and a boy sit on a wall and enjoy a refreshing drink.
Children play on a swing and trampoline while dad inspects a number of small greenshouses.
An attractive blonde girl enters a machinery hall with an older man(possibly father and daugher) and cheekily jumps on a tractor and they pose as models promoting different machinery,montage of different garden equipment and products. Two children rush up and point to different garden gnomes, while our young couple sit on plastic toad stools. Further ariel shots of the garden centre with a number of people buying different plants.The father and daughter approach an information and enquiry desk where a man smoking a pipe and wearing a bow tie provides them with information which appears very interesting to them,as he studies a plant handed to him by the father through a magnifying glass, points out something on the plant and hands the magnifying glass back to the father for inspection!
Interior shots of a horiticultural centre as women inspect different plants and flowers,other garden products are also viewed in a different part of the centre.
A town crier rings his bell and announces that the 'Syon Festival is open' and 'God Save the Queen', our young couple smile and laugh, we see Morris dancers, Elizabeth dancing, and a Guards Band playing before an appreciative crowd.
A parade of vintage cycles and bicycles pass by, with people in period costume. Our male tourist appears sitting in the driving seat of a vintage car-possibly a miniature fire engine,and talks to two men standing by the engine.
Our young couple walk by the lake towards an archway advertising an attraction,'Craftsmen of Gloucester' we see a man working a mound of clay on a potting wheel, we wears a wool hat and smokes a pipe, a group of four people watch on intently, as the potter expertly works the clay and the clay rises.
A dramatic battle scene as a troop of Cavaliers on horses charge! Our tourist couple watch on excitedly and take pictures, as we see more battle scenes, miniature houses ablaze, and cannons fired!
Night scenes of fireworks-rockets blasting into the night sky, Catherine wheels, and a windmill, the display ends with fireworks blazing out a message 'Good Night' and 'Gardening Centre Come again'.
Montage shots of budding flowers and flower beds, two men in suits inspect the flowers, and walk across the beautiful grounds on a sunny day, further montage shots of the park, showing the many different aspects of the park and surrounding woodland area.
End title; Produced by Millbank Films Limited for the Gardening Centre Limited Syon Park, Brentford, Middlesex. ICI (Logo)
Keywords: ICI Industries; Syon Park; Gardening Centre; aerial views; National Exhibition of Gardening,Capability Brown,Percy Thrower
Locations: United Kingdom;England;London;Syon
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