This is a film made by Frank Charman, a member of the Yorkshire District Association of The Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland.  It includes the 1954 Balls Park Feast of Lanterns, a weekend at the Polesden Lacey campsite in the North Downs and at the Graffham Club site in the South Downs. Intertitle – Balls Park Feast of Lanterns (1954) Intertitle – The Scene Before The film shows an empty field. Intertitle – A little later Cars arrive and the field fills up with tents. Intertitle –...

This is a film made by Frank Charman, a member of the Yorkshire District Association of The Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland.  It includes the 1954 Balls Park Feast of Lanterns, a weekend at the Polesden Lacey campsite in the North Downs and at the Graffham Club site in the South Downs. Intertitle – Balls Park Feast of Lanterns (1954) Intertitle – The Scene Before The film shows an empty field. Intertitle – A little later Cars arrive and the field fills up with tents. Intertitle – And still they come. More cars arrive, and some on bicycle. Intertitle – Let’s watch this car-load pitch More cars arrive and a motorcycle and sidecar.  A group put up their tent, with decorated guide ropes. Intertitle – You can join the queue. There is a very long queue of men and women with buckets for the water tap.  A small girl does some dousing with a stick.  A tractor pulls a wagon over the campsite with children on it and various other items. Intertitle – Time to get up. A small girl emerges from a tent. Intertitle – Breakfast A family sit at a table having breakfast in front of their tent. Intertitle – Then the decorations. A small girl is arranging some flowers Intertitle – The Old Timers were there and some young dogs. An elderly man helps with the decorating, and an elderly woman stands at the front of her inflatable tent holding two dogs. A man has a shave outside his tent while another holds a mirror up for him. Intertitle – Even somewhere to spend money. A family examine some items on a table next to a large tent. Intertitle – The sports were enjoyed by young and old. There are several children’s races, a slow cycle race, and even cycling slowly cycling backwards.  Then there is a fancy dress parade.  Intertitle – Lady Baden Powell watches Don Church’s appeal for church funds. A man speaks, and gesticulates, to a large group of campers gathered around.  Another man arrives carrying something. Intertitle – All good things must come to an end. Cars, bicycles and several motorbikes and sidecars are shown leaving, one bicycle pulling a home-made trolley with camping gear. Intertitle – But there’s still time for a weekend at Polesden Lacey. There is a large house with neo-classical columns.  Some people wander around the gardens of the house. A stage is set up and then the film switches to show a children’s race and a camp site full of tents.  People are milling around the site and there is a game of volleyball.  A woman sits outside a tent with a lilo and a man has a shave, while others stand around chatting. Intertitle – Camp site at Patterdale on Ullswater A woman has a cup of tea outside her tent, pitched in among trees and bushes. She wanders off and there is a view over the campsite and close up of some tents before the film comes to an end.