Various scenes of the marshes and sea at Lowestoft.
Genre:
Promotional; Travel / Travelogue
The film opens with a panoramic view of the marshes and then moves to Oulton Broad. Here we see various sailing craft including some Brown boats. In Lowestoft the film visits Nicholas Everitt Park. We see the swimming pool and the 'boat-dodgems.' These are boats powered by overhead electricity along artificial waterways. There are shots of Mutford Lock, where 'Broadland meets the sea'. This was built in the early 19th century and allows access upstream to Norwich. A cruiser is seen using the lock. Lowestoft Ness, the most easterly point in England is filmed, stressing its wild nature. The swing bridge features in a lengthy sequence. Opened in 1897, the bridge is 116' long and 22 1/2' wide. It has a weight limit of 16 tons. It opens to allow a trawler through. During this operation there is a man standing on the Bridge. There are also shots of the Bridge opened to traffic. These feature buses and a large number of pedestrians. Jubilee Parade is filmed from a high angle shot. The miniature railway features as does the South Pier and the observation tower.
The opening of the Pavilion by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 is filmed. There are shots of The Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club preceding a long sequence about the harbour. This shows trawlers at the Quay, unloading their catch. There are also interior shots of the fish market. There are shots of a ship under construction at the Brook Marine shipyard and a recently completed fishing vessel built for Russia. A ship is launched at Richards shipyard. Lowestoft scenes follow. There include the Lighthouse, the Lighthouse Score, the parish church, Belle Vue Park, the Royal Navy Patrol Memorial and Sparrows Nest Park. Originally the summer home of Robert Sparrow this was a naval base during the war and was known as HMS 'Europa'.
There are shots of the chorus line from the theatre high kicking on the lawn. There follow shots of a caravan park, the crowded beach and a competition to find the perfect figure in Lowestoft. The film moves to Blundeston and shows the Church, the Rectory and the Plough Inn. The Church is part Saxon, part Norman. In particular the film stresses the connection with David Copperfield. At Oulton Broad, holiday makers arrive at the Hoseasons Yacht Station. They board a cruiser, the 'Pintail', and are filmed holidaying on the River Waveney, where they moor and take lunch in the stern of the boat. There is a sequence of speed boat racing on Oulton broad before the film concludes with scenes of the cliffs and beach shot from a moving power boat.
Background Information:
This film was made as a second feature for the Cinema circuit and would have been shown during the early 1960s. The then Lowestoft Corporation bought 20 copies of the film for publicity purposes. David Gell was a well known disc jockey at the time. He was Canadian.
Please note: The archive holds the only surviving print of this film. Please be aware it is severely faded and suffers from some damage.
Featured People:
HRH The Duke Of Edinburgh
Featured Organisations:
The Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club; Brook Marine; Richard's ship builders; Hoseasons
Featured Buildings:
Mutford Lock; The Pavilion; South Pier; The Royal Navy Patrol Memorial; Belle Vue Park; The Church; The Rectory; Blundeston; The Plough Inn; Hoseasons Yacht Station; Oulton Broad.