Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 3376 (Master Record)
Title | Year | Date |
ACCESSION TO JUBILEE | 1977 | 1977-06-11 |
Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 17 mins 30 secs Credits: Film produced by Ken Leckenby Mercury Movie Makers Subject: Politics |
Summary This is a film made by local filmmaker Ken Leckenby documenting the Lord Mayor's Gala in Bradford in June 1977. This film shows the procession and other events used to raise money for charity. |
Description
This is a film made by local filmmaker Ken Leckenby documenting the Lord Mayor's Gala in Bradford in June 1977. This film shows the procession and other events used to raise money for charity.
Title: 'Accession to Jubilee Bradford, Lord Mayor's Gala Saturday 11th June 1977 Organisers Bradford Junior Chamber of Commerce.'
The film begins by showing a map of the route, and the commentary explains that the carnival parade will end up at Lister Park. The West Yorkshire Fire...
This is a film made by local filmmaker Ken Leckenby documenting the Lord Mayor's Gala in Bradford in June 1977. This film shows the procession and other events used to raise money for charity.
Title: 'Accession to Jubilee Bradford, Lord Mayor's Gala Saturday 11th June 1977 Organisers Bradford Junior Chamber of Commerce.'
The film begins by showing a map of the route, and the commentary explains that the carnival parade will end up at Lister Park. The West Yorkshire Fire Service Pipe Band lead procession as it enters the park. A large crowd stands behind metal barriers and watches the procession as it goes past. Many onlookers wave Union Jacks at the camera. The Lord Mayor goes past in a horse drawn carriage and then gets off carrying a Union Jack briefcase. The band is followed by more floats. One is shaped as a ship, and men dressed as pirates wave to the crowd. Another has a traditional jazz band. Many of the floats have banners at the side to advertise their different companies. Majorettes march in the procession as more carnival goers look on, some wearing hats with the Union Jack flag on them. The floats are all highly decorated, and many of them have a royal theme. One float has a detailed replica of the Queen's Royal Carriage. Bradford's Lord Mayor stands on a podium and waves to all the people who are part of the procession. Among those on parade is a marching band dressed in an old red uniform with a black eagle insignia.
There are many different local industries, both past and present, which are represented in the procession, including the Jowett Car Club, which has a range of different cars driving through the park. Tetley's Dray horses are followed by Morris Dancers. Later in the day the rain forces some to leave the park while others stand under umbrellas. Robert Allen, Project Director of the event, is interviewed. One man says that they started to make the preparations seven months before, and that they chose the Jubilee as a theme because it was a nation-wide event.
Further on there is a hydraulic lift that allows the public to go up and see the whole event from a birds-eye view. The park, procession, fun fair and the surrounding area are seen from the top of the lift. The commentary states that the event included participants from the smallest of church groups to the largest of commercial companies. There is a comic statue of the well known local journalist Ed Liner.
In order to raise money for local charities, a number of stalls have been set up to sell a variety of items. There is an interview with the Lord Mayor, Paul Hockney, followed by a model aircraft display shortly before events are stopped because of stormy downpour. When the rain is over there is a tug-of-war match between two groups of men with people cheering them on: won by the Leed's Irish Centre. Then there is an interview with Ronnie Farley, President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. The film closes at the end of the day and shows people at various stalls counting the money while the commentary informs that much money has been made for the charity organisations.
Closing Credit: Film produced by Ken Leckenby
The End
A Group 16 Film
Context
This film is one of very many produced by Mercury Movie Makers, a part of Leeds Cine Club who specialised in making 16mm film. As with many of their films, the film was produced by Ken Leckenby. Sometimes Ken would make films under his own name. One such is Out and About, made three years earlier in 1973, which, among other things, shows the Leeds Caribbean Carnival on Out and About – for more on Ken see the Context for this film. By and large Mercury Movie Makers (MMM) worked as a team,...
This film is one of very many produced by Mercury Movie Makers, a part of Leeds Cine Club who specialised in making 16mm film. As with many of their films, the film was produced by Ken Leckenby. Sometimes Ken would make films under his own name. One such is Out and About, made three years earlier in 1973, which, among other things, shows the Leeds Caribbean Carnival on Out and About – for more on Ken see the Context for this film. By and large Mercury Movie Makers (MMM) worked as a team, as is obviously the case here. Another example of the documentary type films that they made is From Esholt To Beckindale about the making of the TV series Emmerdale in the 1980s. For more on MMM see the Context for A Vision Fulfilled; which also has a Royal theme, featuring a visit to St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds, by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1984.
The other half of Leeds Cine Club, the Super Eight Group, filmed the Lord Mayor's Silver Jubilee Parade in Leeds, which took place on the rain free Saturday of July 9th. Other places celebrating the event, and of which the YFA has film, include: Menston, near Otley, Pickering, Smithy Moor, outside of Stocksbridge, and Walkington. Unlike some other Silver Jubilee events that can be seen here, this is just the regular Lord Mayor’s Parade, which has adopted the Jubilee as its theme: the title, ‘Accession to Jubilee’, allowing for various meanings. It may be that there were other events in Bradford in celebration of the Silver Jubilee, such as street parties, but unfortunately they do not feature here. See the Context for Fearby Silver Jubilee for more on the celebrations taking place across the country. As is often the case, the parade is led by a Highland band, which has become especially associated with the British Monarchy. Bagpipes – an inflated leather bag as an air reservoir for a wind instrument – have been around from at least the period of the ancients Hittites and the Romans. Although there is little evidence of the bagpipe before the 18th century – a lowly instrument that easily decayed – it seems that the bagpipe found its way to Scotland from England, perhaps by way of Ireland. But although not a peculiarly Scottish instrument – being common across Europe, the Caucasus, the Persian Gulf and Northern Africa – the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe has been around for several centuries and has remained an important part of the musical tradition of Scotland. As Highland regiments have been integral in the creation of the British Empire, so the Highland bands have become synonymous with the Royal family: Queen Victoria established the first personal Piper to the Sovereign in 1843. It has subsequently spread to many countries of the former Empire. One aspect of the film which gives it a more professional feel is the commentary and the interviews. One of those interviewed, Paul Hockney, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, fails to mention that he is the older brother of the much better known artist David Hockney. Both of course hail from Bradford. Paul lectured at Bradford Technical College from 1963 until 1966, before going on to teach at Leeds. Paul certainly made the most of his year in office. He helped to set up the Nell Bank Centre, situated on the outskirts of Ilkley, as part of his Appeal. This continues to provide a range of award winning outdoor and educational activities for both children and adults – Paul, not looking a day older, recently paid a visit to the centre in 2010. He was also a prime mover in the Twin Town Association, visiting Roubaix for a twin-town conference in September of 1977. It is no surprise therefore, to see both Roubaix, close to the border with Belgium in France, and the twinned town of Mönchengladbach, near the Dutch border in Germany (and which is also twinned with Roubaix), heavily featured on the Parade. This European contribution – Britain joined the European Union in 1973 – helps to take the edge off the patriotic fervour that the Jubilee inspired. For those interested in the Jowett car section of the parade, there is much more of this in the Jowett Car Club Film Collection held with the YFA – see Jcc Annual Car Rally Bradford Diamond Jubilee (1983). Another famous participant is the actor Patrick Allen (apparently no relation to the Project Director of the event, Robert Allen, who is interviewed in the film). Patrick Allen was a very well-known face at the time, having appeared in many films and TV programmes. He made his film debut in Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder in 1954, and during the 1970s starred in the TV series, Brett. Later in his career he became especially involved in voice-overs ¬ – voicing the notorious public information film on a nuclear war, Protect and Survive, in 1966. It would have been in this connection, as the visible voice of the helicopter pilot advertising Barratt Homes, that he would be appearing here. Also in 1977 he starred as Gradgrind in a four-part adaptation of Dickens's Hard Times. The Bradford Lord Mayor's Parade is still going strong, supplemented by the more colourful events of the Bradford Mela, since 1988, and the Bradford Carnival, since 2003. As well as the Lord Mayor's Carnival Parade there are many other events celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It is questionable though whether this provides a theme around which Bradford’s diverse communities can be brought together. References Frank J. Timoney, The Concise History of the Bagpipe Paul Hockney Ilkley's Nell Bank Centre stages open day |