A home movie made by Edwin Davison primarily featuring his wife Evelyne and their daughter Karen staying at the family’s cabin near the river Tyne in the village of Ovingham in Northumberland where Evelyne and Karen ride horses. The film also features several ships built by Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders Ltd and where the filmmaker worked as a Manager in the Costings Department. The Esso Northumbria is seen being towed out of the Tyne on 9th February 1970 followed by the launching of its...

A home movie made by Edwin Davison primarily featuring his wife Evelyne and their daughter Karen staying at the family’s cabin near the river Tyne in the village of Ovingham in Northumberland where Evelyne and Karen ride horses. The film also features several ships built by Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders Ltd and where the filmmaker worked as a Manager in the Costings Department. The Esso Northumbria is seen being towed out of the Tyne on 9th February 1970 followed by the launching of its sister ship the Esso Hibernia from the Wallsend shipyard on the 6th April, 1970. The container ship Dart America is also recorded being launched at the company’s Walker shipyard on the 5th May, 1970. A phantom car ride along the Coast Road heading west through Jesmond changes to the car now travelling north along the Great North Road passing through a suburban area and our into the countryside. The car travels along a narrow country road and passes two men on horseback before passing a road sign for the village of Ovingham. A rough track leads to a wooden cabin built in a wooded aera where an older couple and the filmmaker’s daughter Karen in a red cardigan step out of making their way to a parked car. Karen and her mother Evelyne wave as the car drives away. Her mother comes out of the cabin again walking over to the family car to put something in the boot before returning to the cabin. Karen sits on a horse watched over by her mother. The film changes to Evelyne climbing onto the horse with the assistance of two women. She rides around in front of the cabins before the film changes again back to Karen on horseback being led by one of the other women. A Guinea pig races around the family garden, a Terrier dog comes out of the house and chases after it. Evelyne watches the dog as the Guinea pig races under its hutch. General views of the Guinea pig both in its hutch and on the grass. Karen and a dog play together in the snowy garden changes to a viewpoint overlooking North Shields and the tanker Esso Northumbria being towed out of the river Tyne by tugboats. The tanker dwarfs the North Shields Lighthouses when it passes them and heads out into the North Sea. Cars parked along a cobbled street changes to a distant view of the Esso Hibernia being launched into the Tyne from Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders Ltd at Wallsend. Outside a church a bride wearing a traditional white dress stands beside her new husband being posed for their wedding photograph, around them a crowd of family and friends stand watching. Guests, including Evelyne and Karen, depart and a man stands beside his car. At the Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders Ltd yard at Walker a man believed to be Sir James Hunter walks with a woman towards the launching platform for the container ship Dart America sitting on its slipway. The woman speaks with people behind a barrier before the ship is launched into the river Tyne. In a field Karen riding a horse watched by her mother and four others. Evelyne opens the gate and Karen rides the horse through it before riding along the track towards the family’s cabin at Ovingham. Evelyne now climbs onto the horse changing to Karen walking the horse back into the field where she removes it bridle. Evelyne climbs onto a horse and rides it along a shaded track towards the family’s cabin. Still on the horse she and Karen come along another track changing to an elevated position and the Tyne Valley and the river running through it. Along a roadside Karen on horseback, in the field next to her another horse. Back at the cabin a man closes the gate with the word ‘Private’ written on it, Karen still sits on her horse. Karen rides under shaded trees along the banks of the Tyne changes to her horse running around a field alongside a second horse. In a field near some houses a group of young riders walk their horses in a circle. They increase the speed to a trot watched by three adults standing in the middle. The riders now travel in the opposite direction some changing speed to a gallop. They all come together in the centre to speak with the trainer before heading off and trotting around the field in pairs. Karen and her mother come along a track towards a stable, Evelyne riding on horseback. In the farmyard Evelyne climbs off her horse and Karen takes it into a stable coming out again with another horse which she leads away towards some parked cars. The film ends on a horse rolling about in a field.