Compilation of amateur film from various trips in the 1950s and early 60s. Includes footage shot in London at a visit for an Institute of Amateur Cinematographers (IAC) national event and at Heathrow Airport, family outings to Brancepeth Castle, County Durham, and Matfen in Northumberland. This film is part of the Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA) collection.   The first sequence features sightseeing in London during a Newcastle & District Amateur...

Compilation of amateur film from various trips in the 1950s and early 60s. Includes footage shot in London at a visit for an Institute of Amateur Cinematographers (IAC) national event and at Heathrow Airport, family outings to Brancepeth Castle, County Durham, and Matfen in Northumberland. This film is part of the Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA) collection.   The first sequence features sightseeing in London during a Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA) trip in the early 1950s for an Institute of Amateur Cinematographers (IAC) national event.  The sequence opens with exterior shots of St Ermin’s Hotel on Caxton Street, London. Shots of the Boudecca Monument and a street vendor follow. Next, the filmmaker attempts to capture the erratic flight of birds over the River Thames, and general views along the river. General views follow of scenes in Westminster including Horse Guard’s parade and changing of the guards. Various shots document Trafalgar Square, the lion sculptures, fountains and Nelson’s Column. A couple of Newcastle ACA filmmakers wander through the square with their cine camera.  The next sequence documents activity at BOAC terminals at Heathrow Airport.  A brief sequence records the neon advertising signs at Piccadilly Circus, London.  General views of Brancepeth Castle in County Durham, trees and blossom. A child picks flowers in the grass outside the castle. She runs outside the castle entrance and climbs up some stone steps. Travelling shot along a long country drive. General views of wild countryside, a summer house, distant church, and a gateway in a picturesque village, probably Brancepeth. General view of a road with a sign to Durham on the A690.  An amateur filmmaker stands at the roadside filming, a ‘narrow bridge’ sign in the foreground, possibly near Matfen, Northumberland. The same filmmaker films his young daughter and wife near a farm. Mother and daughter watch a horse in a field.