Amateur home movie of family holidays spent in a cottage in Weardale, County Durham, with trips to Northumberland locations. The film features footage of a cattle market, dog racing, men’s gymnastics, a gymkhana, and a children’s parade of marching juvenile jazz bands in Allendale. The film opens with family scenes of children with their pet dog and a horse in the countryside. Family and friends enjoy a picnic in the fields. A group of young children play near a stream and wave at camera....

Amateur home movie of family holidays spent in a cottage in Weardale, County Durham, with trips to Northumberland locations. The film features footage of a cattle market, dog racing, men’s gymnastics, a gymkhana, and a children’s parade of marching juvenile jazz bands in Allendale. The film opens with family scenes of children with their pet dog and a horse in the countryside. Family and friends enjoy a picnic in the fields. A group of young children play near a stream and wave at camera. Children gather near tents erected in a rural field. Two teenage girls and a smaller girl walk out of the driveway to a country house or castle, and there are shots of the crenellated exterior walls with iron gateway. There are further shots of a village. Four children stand in the horseshoe framed entrance built into a stone wall, possibly to a lead mine. Two children and their parents practice riding a bicycle around the back garden of a house. The mother’s balance is a little shaky. Title: St John’s Chapel. Weardale. 1958 General views of a rugged hill and dale landscape. A car is parked in a garage at the end of a row of cottages. A house sign reads 'High Fairhills.' A mother and her two young children enjoy time in the fields, beside a rocky river, and on a bridge. There are general views of the main street, St John’s Chapel, and the nearby War Memorial. The mother in pale blue skirt suit stands between two cars with two small children. Next, she is in the passenger seat of a Bentley car, her young daughter still outside. Moving across, the car is parked outside the Cowshill Hotel in Cowshill. A young woman is grooming the tail of a cow. On a village green, a small cattle show or market is taking place, probably at St John’s Chapel. Farmers are standing with their prize cows. A female judge in white coat is holding a frisky cow. The owners lead their cows to stand in a head to tail line. A small girl in a frilly swimsuit and a small boy play in a stream. There are views of the stream, probably the River East Allen, next to a large rural stone cottage. The film cuts to a general view of an ivy-clad public house, 'The Dale' at Allendale. A Bentley and another car are parked out front. Another street view shows the Allendale Post Office. A dog race (whippets?) takes place in a field, watched by many spectators. A men’s gymnastics competition takes place, with individual men performing on the single bar. A small boy pretend drives a car on a children’s fairground ride. A man and woman are lounging on the grass in the sun, the woman looking to camera. There are portrait shots of young children and adults all enjoying the sunshine. A brief shot shows the mother from previous shots in a garden, followed by a voyeuristic shot of a woman sunbathing. Two children cuddle and play with lambs at a farm. A woman in red feeds lambs from a plastic bottle. The next shots records a large group of children and some adults in a choir, singing along a country lane, accompanied by an accordionist. There is a brief shot of a girl and boy playing with a dog and lamb. Crowds are gathered in a village field and several children in fancy dress compete in a parade on horseback. One child carries a sign that reads 'Up With St Trinians.' A general distant view shows a large group of children in white and red costume at the edge of the field. Children take part in a gymkhana equestrian obstacle race. One child falls off a horse. Family scenes in the garden of a stone cottage. A farmer drives off in his tractor. A young boy mooches around in the fields near the farm. Two men are starting to mend a dry stonewall. The mother sits out in the sun and manicures her nails. The camera pans across the countryside view. There are various shots of the mother and her small daughter outside the cottage, with a two-tone Hillman car parked in the background. There are portrait shots of the young girl and boy. A dog roams around the yard. A horse stands for a portrait. The mother helps the young girl wearing a riding hat climb onto a chestnut horse. A brief shot shows her riding in the yard. The film cuts to a children’s parade of marching bands from the local area. A boy twirling a baton leads the parade, followed by a small boy in white with blue striped costume. The procession includes a drummer band, red and white costumed children carrying a banner that reads 'Hedworth Jazz Band 1956 Boldon,' and individual children twirling batons. A large band of children in red and white costume march on the spot with their embroidered banner that reads 'Horden Colliery 1963 Melodymakers.' An adult accompanies them and points to camera. The film then focuses on some individual band members or baton twirlers. Further shots of bands on the march include the Hedworth Jazz Band.