🎬Building a Cob house in a day. Filmed on the Beaulieu Estate by Meridian Broadcasting.

Imagine the year is 1650, a young couple, Jacob and Catherine are about to get married, but have nowhere to live together. Their respective houses are already over-crowded. Up to 10 or more people would live in a Cob house 25 feet long and 13 feet wide.

Hence the practice of erecting a house in a single day by the whole village for the newly-weds. A communal venture. Once the house was completed, the householder would treat their guests to a party of eating, drinking and dancing.

But how was it possible to build a house in a little over sixteen hours, and could it be re-attempted 350 years later? The following is an account of an incredible day and a brilliant group of volunteers who made it all possible.

Our thanks to the staff at Meridian Broadcasting in Northam for their help in sourcing this film.

🎬British Pathé – Young unemployed men live and work at the Grith Fyrd camp in the New Forest. Titles read: "The army of peace. Grith Fyrd, it is called, and the camp consists of many who are unemployed, but by no means unoccupied." On the bank of the River Avon near Fordingbridge we see various shots of the Grith Fyrd or Peace Army Camp, where "young men of all classes can develop themselves both physically and mentally". Bare chested young men cut down a tree and carry it back to the camp. Several shots of the men working in the camp, making concrete buildings, weaving rushes for shelter mats, weaving cloth for their clothes, doing woodwork and making sandals, milking goats, taking classes from other camp members, cooking, bathing in the river, drying themselves and running back for dinner. Commentator says this is neither a vocational training centre nor a holiday camp and adds "One of the main objects is to make constructive use of leisure, whether enforced or otherwise". Good footage of camp for unemployed young men during the Depression. Note: there is a letter on file from the Organising Secretary of the Camps

🎬British Movietone - Dibden Purlieu. A craftsman from the New Forest has devoted most of his life reproducing the vitality of the forest wildlife in fine wood carvings - the result - hundreds of delicately carved masterpieces.

British Movietone News ran in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1986.

🎬British Pathé – Fabulous item shows the filming of several veteran car tag pieces for TV series 'The Avengers'. At Lord Montagu's Motor Museum we see the filming of the 'tag' pieces for episodes of The Avengers television series, where Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee drive off in a vintage car - a different one each time. Several shots of the cast and crew in the grounds of Beaulieu; Patrick Macnee chats to Lord Montagu. Patrick and Diana get into a veteran car; Diana puts on a groovy kind of face/eye shield and they drive off; they stop and the director gives instructions to Diana; as they start off again funny business ensues as Diana puts her feet up, then jumps from the car, leaps back in, clutches her head and so on. Diana, in an evening outfit of a chiffon over harem pants, has her make-up touched up. Another sequence is shot with a different vintage car; when it doesn't start, Diana gets from the back seat into the front and prepares to drive while Patrick goes to the rear to push, and ends up with a blackened face from the exhaust. He gets in; Diana drives off. Commentator says the crew are trying to complete all these end sequences in one day's shooting. Diana, in a blue cat suit, chews gum while receiving direction. In this sequence, Diana and Patrick start to push the veteran car which zooms off without them as they chase after it. Note: according to a press release on file, this series was the first in Colour. More details in notes on the clothes worn and the filming of these tag pieces; Diana's costumes were designed by Alan Hughes; Patrick wore his own suits! Cuts exist - see separate record

🎬BBC South 50 years: Episode1 BBC South. A series of 19 mini-features made by BBC South at Southampton in 2011 to celebrate the station's 50 year history.

Episode 1 BBC South. Steve Humphrey tells the story of BBC South from the first broadcasts of South at Six. Introductory footage is from the British Pathé Archive.

NFG are indebted to the BBC staff at Southampton for their help in sourcing items for the archive. See more episodes in the Category - BBC South.

🎬BBC South 50 years: Episode 10 Home Movies. A series of 19 mini-features made by BBC South at Southampton in 2011 to celebrate the station's 50 year history.

Episode 10 Home Movies. One of a series of features which celebrate BBC South's 50 years of broadcasting. Chris Coneybeer takes a look at cine footage filmed by BBC South viewers. Thanks to Nick Haslam, Dave Clark, Jonathan Sayers, Paul Hilton, Lionel Joseph and David Palmer.

NFG are indebted to the BBC staff at Southampton for their help in sourcing items for the archive. See more episodes in the Category - BBC South.