Harrogate on Film returns to the Odeon cinema in March after two sold-out screenings last October.
The additional showings are a second chance to see a 90-minute programme put together from footage held at the Yorkshire Film Archive in York.
The film was commissioned by the Harrogate’s Civic Society and FIlm Society. It includes a mix of amateur and professional footage, featuring rare shots from the opening of the Odeon Cinema and the filming of an Agatha Christie movie in the 1970s.
Audiences will also view clips from the 1937 and 1953 Coronation celebrations, the Great Yorkshire Show, the Harrogate Spa in 1930s and rail-travel in the 1960s.
The film combines footage from major events with scenes from everyday life. A sneak peak is available through the Yorkshire Film Archive website.
Stuart Holland, chair of Harrogate Civic Society, said:
“There is so much passion shown by residents of both Harrogate and Knaresborough to learn more about our history, and I know this screening will not disappoint”.
There will be two showings on March 27, at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
Tickets are available through the Harrogate Film Society website, with discounts for Harrogate Film Society members, as well as members of Harrogate and Knaresborough Civic Societies.
Read more:
- New films capture royal celebrations in village near Ripon over 70 years
- Harrogate actor to make debut in independent horror film
Harrogate district residents encouraged to delve into history of their homes
A new archive dating back nearly 700 years is being made available for residents in the district to research the history of their homes.
North Yorkshire’s county record office said the number of queries it receives about researching house history are second only to those about family history.
As a result, the office is staging an exhibition and online guide that will show people the resources available locally to help them dig into their properties’ past.
Items spanning nearly 700 years, from the early 1300s to the 1970s, will be on display, including historic maps, architectural drawings, old photographs and property deeds.
Some of the items relate to the construction of the Park Place flats on the Stray, and Knaresborough’s High Street and Fisher Gardens in Briggate.
Margaret Boustead, head of archives and record management, said:
“Everybody’s home is unique and each house will have its own story to tell.
“This exhibition is not about country houses or elite residences, it is about everyday homes and what people might be able to find out about them.”
Read More:
- History of Ripon Spa Baths captured as venue prepares for new lease of life
- Fountains Abbey tops survey of UK’s best historic attractions
NYCC’s executive member responsible for the county record office, Cllr Greg White, said:
“Researching house history can tell us so much about the past and the places that we call home. It can also help us learn about the people who lived there and strengthen our connection with our past and where we live.
“Our county record office holds a wonderful range of resources that you can use to start your journey of discovery.”
The exhibition, at the county record office in Malpas Road, Northallerton, runs until Tuesday, January 31 – except between December 24 and January 2.
It is open Tuesday to Friday from 9.30am to 4pm. Admission is free and there is no need to book.
There will also be drop-in sessions on Monday, October 31, from 1.30pm to 4.30pm and Wednesday, November 9, from 4pm to 6pm, when archivists will be on hand to answer questions .
The online guide can be found at www.nycroblog.com/house-history.
Harrogate Photographic Society to show historic photosHarrogate Photographic Society has announced plans for its 100th anniversary, which include showcasing historic images of the town as well as photos from the early days of Ukraine’s independence.
The society was founded on October 23, 1922 and was originally based at a shop on King’s Road.
Mike Hudson, the society’s president for its centenary year, said:
“There were seven members originally but that rapidly expanded… and it took off big time from then.”
Read more:
- Amazing aerial photos of Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough from 100 years ago
- Drone photo shows Harrogate’s first Lidl taking shape
A team from the society has gone through the image archives at Harrogate Library and North Yorkshire County Council to find pictures from that time.
Many images have been lost but the ones which remain are set to be digitised and displayed to the public in the near future.
Mr Hudson said they were hoping to preserve elements of Harrogate’s history. He added:
“When someone passes away, the sons, daughters and relatives… [put photos] in the bin or in the skip and they’re lost forever. We’re very lucky to have just a few photographs and prints that have survived.”
There are also plans for a special presentation alongside local jewellers Ogden of Harrogate about the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt in 1922.
JR Ogden was tasked with advising archaeologist Howard Carter on the jewels and gold found within the tomb.
The covid pandemic was a challenge for the group, Mr Hudson admitted, with its meetings having to be held online.
However, he hoped that people would now be encouraged to return and meet the photographers in-person.
Some of the society members’ photos (photos: Harrogate Photographic Society)
Photos from Ukraine
Following the look at Harrogate’s past, the society will hear from globally renowned photographers including Tim Smith and Paul Haley.
Mr Smith will discuss his time spent in Ukraine and Russia in 1991, when Ukraine voted to declare independence from the Soviet Union.
Mr Haley, a war photographer, will be sharing his photos for the Falklands War, the 40th anniversary of which was this year.
Mike Hudson believed that each photographer brought something different in terms of their work. He said:
WATCH: BBC film of Alan Whicker’s 1960 trip to the Spofforth horse breaker“Each photographer has something special to say themselves. They each excel in the genres of photography they take.”
On a damp day on September 9, 1960, broadcaster Alan Whicker came to Spofforth to interview one of the country’s few remaining horse breakers.
Jack Anderson was 75 at the time and had been training horses for 60 years at the time of the interview.
Mr Anderson gave advice on how he trained horses and an insight into his unusual life.
The video was first first broadcast as part of Tonight, which covered the arts, sciences as well as topical matters and current affairs.
It is now part of a BBC archive of films shared on a weekly basis.
Read more:
- Free walking tours back with new focus on Harrogate people
- Harrogate History: does Harrogate have connections to slavery?
The interview starts with a series of questions on how to stop horses kicking and biting and how to hold a horse for shoeing.
Mr Anderson also talked about the times when it went wrong:
“I have had legs broken, collar bone, jaw, ribs. Oh yes. One [horse] will do one thing and one will do another. But the heart of the thing is to make them.
“There is a way of making them. If I said to go over them then we went over, even if it took an hour and a half because I am a crude fella when I start.”
He adds he does all of his training by talking, not by using the stick that he brandishes to the camera.
Do any Stray Ferret readers remember Jack Anderson, the Spofforth horse breaker, or the day Alan Whicker visited?