This home movie was made by amateur filmmaker Raymond James Paiton, using an 8mm film stock to capture the memory of a family picnic and shots at the Rothbury Show. Many of his films document car rallies, some hosted with friends, and vintage vehicle restoration, one of his main interests. Both he and his wife Molly (Amelia) were rally drivers. Other home movies in the collection feature family members including Cragside: Town Moor: Beach. The majority of the films were made between 1949 and...

This home movie was made by amateur filmmaker Raymond James Paiton, using an 8mm film stock to capture the memory of a family picnic and shots at the Rothbury Show. Many of his films document car rallies, some hosted with friends, and vintage vehicle restoration, one of his main interests. Both he and his wife Molly (Amelia) were rally drivers. Other home movies in the collection feature family members including Cragside: Town Moor: Beach. The majority of the films were made between 1949 and 1961, a time of rapid change within British society.
Paiton was born in Manchester in 1917 and moved to Newcastle upon Tyne when his father, an engineer, acquired a job at Ferranti in Walkergate, which later became Parsons. He won a scholarship to attend Heaton Grammar School ad studied dentistry at Newcastle University. He married shortly before his military service during World War Two when he was posted to India and Burma to treat British troops. Against orders, he also treated Japanese prisoners of war as he couldn’t bear to see anyone in pain. They made him presents out of old shell cases to thank him.
After the war, Raymond and Molly settled into married life in Ponteland and Holmwood, Woodland Park, Wideopen, with two children, Michael and Barbara, who feature in his home movies. He had a dental practice in Wallsend, working until the age of 75. In addition to his filmmaking activities, he restored vintage cars and motorbikes. In the attic of his dental surgery, he discovered and restored a 1909 Wilkinson TAC luxury touring motorcycle produced by Wilkinson Sword before the First World War, which was sold back to the company and displayed at their headquarters. As a musician playing the guitar, clarinet and saxophone he played in a band into his nineties. His son Michael rebelled against following the family tradition of a career in dentistry and became a musician, playing with a then unknown Gordon Sumner (aka Sting) in one local band. Raymond loved to travel around the world, but Northumberland was his favourite place, which can be seen within these films.
The 1950s have often been referred to as the ‘Golden Age’. The British economy was starting to recover after the Second World War. The society was thriving and enjoying their newfound security and Britons were generally happier. As shown in this film, people were enjoying the simple freedoms that post-war life had to offer. Fashion was changing too, with young women welcoming the long full skirts of the ‘New Look’ that was a reaction to wartime austerity , One can also gather that the family unit was strong during the 1950s, as this film shows a family enjoying their time together laughing and spending time in nature.
One specific event that is shown is the Rothbury Show. Rothbury is a traditional market town of central Northumberland, which is also known as the Capital of Coquetdale. It’s close to the county’s countryside and has many walking and cycling routes to explore and has been referred to as a ‘peaceful haven’ . The Rothbury Show would have been located on the Rothbury racecourse, which was a horse racing venue. The course covered under 1.5 miles in circumference and the races were held over 2 to 3 miles. During both world wars the racecourse was closed and then in the 1960s it was deemed surplus to requirements and marked for closure . Once again, it can be seen how important these amateur films are as it can show us places like the Rothbury Racecourse that are no longer there.
In 1932 Kodak introduced standard 8mm film stock during the Great Depression in America as a cheap alternative to 16mm, and this became popular for amateurs. The technology was still relatively expensive, especially before World War Two, so it was usually only accessible to the most affluent in society. Over the next twenty years the 8mm film format, used by Paiton, became more common and was at its height recording special events and family gatherings throughout the 1950s.
The use of home movies as a historical primary source is extremely useful as it can show insights into fashion, how cities and towns looked and one can even see how gender roles differ through these films. Even to this day home movies are being made, mostly through everyday devices like our mobile phones but also through video tapes.
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/britain-1950

https://www.visitnorthumberland.com/rothbury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothbury_Racecourse