🎬 The New Forest. A film exploring the rich landscape, people and forest traditions in the post war years.

18th century Agisters and pigs with rights to wander are just some of the ancient traditions celebrated in this beguiling look at life in the New Forest. Less familiar sights are captured, too, such as broom making and logging, forestry planting and sailing on the River Beaulieu near Buckler's Hard. No film about the area would be complete, though, without the famous Forest ponies – who are seen here in all their equine glory.

Filmmaker Roy Layzell made many films during this period including other local area films such as Pipelines Under Southampton Water in 1957.

Clifton Parker was a renowned British composer. With nearly 50 feature films under his belt, including The 39 Steps in 1959 and Sink The Bismark in 1960.

John Snagge (OBE) was the voice of the BBC from the war years to his retirement in 1980.

Featuring John Snagge
Music by Clifton Parker
Filmed and Directed by Roy Layzell
Original Cinema Release 1952

The film was commissioned by the Esso Petroleum Company in 1952, just as they were establishing a new refinery on the eastern edge of the New Forest at Fawley, but Forest Heritage is entirely concerned with the natural beauty and traditions of the area: ‘A place out of this modern world where simple pleasures are enough – a miraculous survival of pre-Norman England’.

🎬An unnamed local filmmaker set up his camera on the top deck of a Southampton Tram. The result is a wonderful window on life in the last year of the Victorian age.

Southampton 1900, A Tram Journey. Starting at North Gate, Bargate Arch. North along Above Bar Street. Finishing at The Clock Tower, Palmerston Park.

🎬 Part of the AMERICAN VISCOUNTESS series of programmes that looks at Britain's stately homes.

Not only is Beaulieu home to the National Motor Museum, but also to the extraordinary ruins of Beaulieu Abbey, which date back to the foundation of the monastery here in the thirteenth century. The more I visit historic houses around Britain, the more I realise how many of them have monastic roots.

In this episode, Lord Montagu guides me around some of the surviving buildings and shows me the exquisite wall hangings, stitched by his mother, which chart the history of the abbey. I also explore a hidden part of the Beaulieu estate where the well used by the monks still survives today. And I end my visit at the newly restored ice house – a glimpse back to the days when historic houses functioned more like life in the tv series, Downton Abbey.

🎬British Pathé – Picturesque Brockenhurst and surrounding areas in New Forest, Hampshire. L/S's forest and ponies. M/S of the village of Brockenhurst with a water splash. M/S lanes with old houses, C/U old oak tree, M/S thatched house. M/S of churchyard at St. Nicholas. Various shots of the gravedigger calling birds and taming them. M/S of Beaulieu Village. M/S old abbey and cloisters with magnolia tree. M/S of a small hamlet which was once a shipbuilding centre. M/S of a street. A woman rides her horse down a lane

🎬British Pathé – English beach life comes back to normal after the war. Unused / unissued material. - Location and dates unknown / unclear. Possibly Bournemouth - certainly Southern England. Panning shots of anti-tank defences and barbed wire on seafront. In the distance people can be seen down on the beach. More shots of people walking to the beach. VS of workers collecting metal poles. They are being cut up. CU sign from Garrison Commander allowing people to bathe from the beach dated 25th July 1944. People in the background are sitting on deck chairs. VS of children and families playing on the beach. People laugh and joke and play in the sand, others relax in deck chairs. Great shots of children paddling and playing in sand. Pan across beach.

🎬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