Metadata
WORK ID: NEFA 22106 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| CRAGSIDE: TOWN MOOR: BEACH | 1949 | 1949-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: Standard 8 Colour: Colour Sound: Silent Duration: 8 mins 33 secs Credits: Individual: Raymond James Paiton Genre: Home Movie Subject: Seaside |
| Summary Compilation of amateur films by Raymond James Paiton consisting of footage of a visit to Cragside house, near Rothbury in Northumberland with his wife Molly followed by events on Newcastle Town Moor including a performance of synchronised gymnastics, a display of military aircraft, the star attraction an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, and the annual ... |
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Description
Compilation of amateur films by Raymond James Paiton consisting of footage of a visit to Cragside house, near Rothbury in Northumberland with his wife Molly followed by events on Newcastle Town Moor including a performance of synchronised gymnastics, a display of military aircraft, the star attraction an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, and the annual Hoppings fair. It concludes with family beach scenes on the coast, possibly to Cresswell in Northumberland.
The film opens on a view of Cragside...
Compilation of amateur films by Raymond James Paiton consisting of footage of a visit to Cragside house, near Rothbury in Northumberland with his wife Molly followed by events on Newcastle Town Moor including a performance of synchronised gymnastics, a display of military aircraft, the star attraction an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, and the annual Hoppings fair. It concludes with family beach scenes on the coast, possibly to Cresswell in Northumberland.
The film opens on a view of Cragside house near Rothbury, Northumberland and a woman walking through the garden looking at the colourful rhododendron blossom. A West Highland Terrier follows her as she walks along a path. A young man looks at the blossoms. Portrait shot of the couple together.
A barrage balloon floats in the sky. An event takes place, probably on the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, featuring young women performing synchronised exercise routines, and an RAF brass band performing for a small crowd, the wings of an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber in the background. An airplane flies overhead. A general view follows of crowds looking at the Avro Lancaster, registration number PB135. Back at the showground, a group of young men march onto the field and perform a display of gymnastics for spectators. People queue to see inside the Avro Lancaster bomber.
At the Town Moor Hoppings the crowds are enjoying various fairground rides including a big-wheel, a carousel, swing boat and swing chair ride. A boy slides down a helter skelter. A sideshow strong man ties a sack over a person's head, part of a show? More shots of the swing boat and a children’s train ride follow.
A group of friends, two young women and a young man, are seated on a beach, chatting. A woman and small boy pose outside a cottage with a kid or young goat, the name about the door reading Pele Cottage . Two women, a man and a boy in bathing costumes splash around in the sea. Nearby, a man relaxes in an inflatable rubber dinghy bobbing around in the water. Next, the man rocks the dinghy whilst one of the young women sits in it. The second woman climbs into the dinghy.
Standing on the shoreline a woman stares out to sea. She then helps two boys and a girl build a sandcastle.
Portrait shot of a man smoking and smiling at the camera ends the film.
Context
Cragside: Town Moor: Beach is an amateur home movie created by Raymond James Paiton, a dentist from Wallsend in the Northeast of England. Other films in his collection that were acquired largely relate to motor rallying and the Northumbrian Motor Club, rather than homestyle films surrounding his family like this one.
The film focuses on three different events from 1949, one at the Cragside Estate, Hopping’s Funfair at Town Moor, and a family day out at the beach. The Cragside Estate, which...
Cragside: Town Moor: Beach is an amateur home movie created by Raymond James Paiton, a dentist from Wallsend in the Northeast of England. Other films in his collection that were acquired largely relate to motor rallying and the Northumbrian Motor Club, rather than homestyle films surrounding his family like this one.
The film focuses on three different events from 1949, one at the Cragside Estate, Hopping’s Funfair at Town Moor, and a family day out at the beach. The Cragside Estate, which was created by Lord William and Lady Margaret Armstrong was known for its efficient and extravagant landscape alongside the Victorian mansion that became the first house to be powered by electricity. The estate under Armstrong had significant notoriety due to his art collection and several international and royal visits. His wife, Lady Armstrong had a passion for horticulture and flora which can be seen in the clips of Paiton’s film with his wife Molly walking through the garden. The creation of the film in 1949 was only four years after World War II and there was still a sense of patriotism and celebration across the country which can be seen in the clips from Town Moor. The Hopping’s funfair was an annual travelling fair that began in 1882 and was typically held for a week in the month of June as an alternative to local people drinking and gambling. At the fair in 1949, Avro’s Lancaster Bomber was put on display for visitors to see. The Lancaster bomber had an integral and well-established role during and after the Second World War. During the war the planes were used heavily in the night bombings over German territory but also after 1945, they were used as a ferry to bring back Prisoners of War to their home in the British Isles. Additionally, Royal Air Force bands were used from 1939 to increase morale and entertain soldiers and after 1945 they proceeded to perform in support for military public relations across the country. The events of World War Two, were still heavily embedded in British society in 1949 and public celebrations continued. The style of Raymond Paiton’s film is a homestyle documentation. These types of films are intended to hold a visual record in a family’s own archive. Usually, a home movie captures significant and happy moments in one’s life that they want to remember with the intention of viewing them with family or friends. Throughout the film, the prime focus is around Paiton’s family and events that they all attended together. During the clips at Cragside, near Rothbury, there is a more intimate and calmer atmosphere of Paiton, his wife Molly and their West Highland terrier as they go through the gardens and look at the rhododendrons. Contrastingly, the Town Moor funfair is livelier and more upbeat with celebrations and several performances of synchronised gymnastics and from the Royal Air Force brass band. There was also an exhibition of the Lancaster Bomber PB135 with people queueing up to see inside. Finally, the last series of clips is of a family visit to the beach (possibly Creswell) and Pele cottage where children run around, and men and women play in the sea. The sense of joy and happiness is significant in this film as it starkly contrast the international scene experienced from 1939 to 1945. Paiton’s film also depicts the importance of family and celebration after difficult times and his home movie can preserve the memory of these special events to view with family and friends. References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hoppings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cragside#Armstrong's_heirs:_1900%E2%80%93present https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside https://cdm15847.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15847coll3/id/39498/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster#After_the_war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Squadronaires |
