The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
This film is part of Free
East Anglian Scenes
Cowboys and Indians in a Norwich field, cricket on Gorleston Cliffs, hide and seek at Castle Rising; the Lane-Scrutton family’s away days and play days in this 1954 home movie.
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Overview
Brothers-in-law Sidney Lane and Cecil Scrutton bought a 9.5mm cine camera in 1951 and continued throughout the years to photograph their respective families on away days and play days. Clearly a family who love the movies, the children keenly play-act cowboys and Indians or perform a Chaplin skit. Their playground being their Norwich back garden or the nearby pre-housing developed spaces. Other pre-existing landmarks featured include Hunstanton Pier.
In the days before TV, a hobby such as cinematography would fill in those vacant hours for brothers-in-law Sidney Lane and Cecil Scrutton, and then showing these home movies at Christmas time would be an integral part of the family's yearly schedule. Both Sid and Cecil were in the news agency trade. Sid Lane had a shop in Norwich on Colman Road, opened by his father in 1928 and remaining in the family until 1991. Cecil was a news roundsman with large rounds in the Larkman and West Earlham area. During the 1960s he opened a shop in Dereham Road close to the Larkman public house, which remained in the family until the 1990s. Sidney Lane, his son Richard, and Cecil's son Stephen, feature in the backyard 'chase' sequence.
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