Or rather, to Hornsea Pottery, which was perhaps the only reason anyone went to Hornsea, unless they lived there.

The pottery was really famous in its day. We went there, but I can’t remember anything about it, and don’t remember it being as exciting as this. Perhaps we found the attraction part too crowded and ended up looking at crockery for hours. Anyway, the film is a delight, only short, a couple of ads, viewable via this page on the Yorkshire Film Archive website

The housewife of the 1950s has escaped from the kitchen, only to buy more things for it, as she’s browsing the shelves in the pottery shop. Accompanied by a lovely jolly song — which I now can’t get out of my head — so be warned, the same may happen to you. ‘We’re off to Hornsea Pottery, a wonderful place to go, Hip hip hooray, there’s nothing to pay, for lots and lots of treats you know.’

The 1960s couple look much happier than the 1950s couple in the Wallace Arnold film. This is of course because it’s the 1960s, which were groovy and swinging, with couples sharing long sandwiches in a slightly saucy way in public.

Then on to the 1970s (pictured above). The innocent singing replaced by a confident manly voiceover: ‘This is the place to visit’, and the slick Capri pulling up in the car park. We’re in colour now and in a Capri, but we haven’t yet escaped the traditional roles: ‘Pottery shops for mum to browse round, and a well-stocked garden centre for dad.’

Time to head back to York now, but I hope everyone enjoyed the excursion.

. . . . .

Image used with permission from the Yorkshire Film Archive.

More info, elsewhere on the web

Information on these ads and the history of Hornsea Pottery (sadly no longer in business) on the YFA page for the film linked to above (under Context) and in this PDF.
Hornsea Museum’s pages on Hornsea Pottery

It is now the site of Hornsea Freeport shopping village

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Vintage is much in vogue, but back in the fifties it wasn’t all pretty dresses, handsome curvy cars, and jiving. It was domestic hell from which we ladies had to escape. On a Wallace Arnold bus trip, as depicted in this film, another gem from the Yorkshire Film Archive.

The ironic commentary extols the joys of being a wife and mother while simultaneously depicting various domestic disasters: broken crockery, baby covered in food, TV breaking down. An interesting, amusing, and in its own way quietly subversive depiction of 1950s ‘domestic bliss’.

After you’d folded up all your clean white laundry, which you’d probably just spent the entire week laundering laboriously in the twin tub, hubby would come in with oily hands, drop a bit of car engine on the kitchen table, and rudely shove your laundry out of the way with his big oily mitts.

Only one thing to do ladies – jump on a Wallace Arnold bus to Scarborough. Via York.

We end up in York at around 5 minutes into the film. We drive up Museum St, towards scaffolding on the Minster (west end, rather than east, back then) and presumably travel via Deangate, as you could then, and then we’re approaching Monk Bar, and then we’re at the Hop Grove, where our beautiful curvy bus pulls up in an almost empty car park.

There’s a reference to not having to suffer ‘personal discomfort’, and stops at ‘convenient times and places’, and a shot of a man putting a coin into the palm of a lady. Which I think is indicating, in 1950s style, that they include stops for the toilets.

I’ll have to leave you there to continue the journey should you wish, via the Yorkshire Film Archive. The bus travels through Thornton le Dale and on to Scarborough: “Wallace Arnold takes you right in to Scarborough, to their own bus station”.

Maybe someone else can tell me what happens. I can’t go to Scarborough as I’ve got too many pages to shepherd into some kind of shape. Thankfully I don’t have put a load of oiled laundry in a twin tub washing machine.

. . . . .

Image used with permission from the Yorkshire Film Archive

The post 1957: a day away, from the YFA appeared first on York Stories.

But first, here’s a (silent) film of the Terry’s factory. Well, actually it’s a film of a royal visit, in 1937, but I spent all my time looking past the royal party at the workers in their uniforms, and the massive building they streamed out of and stood by. The scale of the thing. Because it’s familiar we perhaps don’t appreciate, walking past it on the street or seeing photos, just how vast a place it was, how many people it employed in its heyday. This is clearly represented in several places in the film in particular, at 2 mins 50, for example, and at 3 mins 45, so many faces at the windows, and at 5 mins.

Followed by a rather less interesting sequence of presentations to the royal visitors. But then enlivened again as the royal party leave and the formal bit relaxes behind them and the women nearest the camera lose their line and momentarily huddle and talk in spontaneous excitement, a lovely moment at around 9:59, then the men in bowler hats look relaxed and normal and immediately smoke, while perhaps saying ‘That went rather well I thought’ to one another.

While they’re all relaxed it’s all kicking off at the Mansion House, with police holding back the enthusiastic flag-waving crowds, illustrated in the last couple of minutes. Marvellous stuff.

That this was filmed is nice. That it was preserved for so many decades is even better. That it’s available to view for free online is splendid. With added ‘Context’ and the opportunity to comment.

And on to Rowntree’s, the following decade, just after the war. Women workers running en masse from the factory entrance. Filmed from closer to the natural level, more personal and small-scale and rather more Rowntree-like, fittingly. They all look very fit, and they’re heading for their sports day, which is the main subject of this film. But again, I was looking behind them, to the buildings they knew and worked in, some of which remain, most of which are gone now.

The first minute or so scans across the factory buildings, from Haxby Road, with that impressive Wigginton Road building since lost, in the background (pictured here in this still from the film). Then women begin running from the factory gates. They seem very athletic these Rowntree’s workers. (Not like over at Terry’s, where they’re all smoking fags ;) )

From 1 mins 45 we’re at the sports day, losing the lovely voice and natural style of the original voiceover, and going into a more staged commentary style, amusing now. With poetic moments almost. Worth a watch/listen. It’s charming, and of its time.

‘And let the best man win. In this, he can’t, because it’s the girls’ hurdle race and they’re off -’

The inevitable rain – ‘Never mind – our clothes will dry and our skins are waterproof!’

Just fantastic.

. . . . .

Stills from the films used with permission.

Elsewhere on this site

All posts tagged ‘Terry’s’

All posts tagged ‘Rowntree’

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