Set up in 1977, the North West Film Archive preserves moving images made in or about Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Cumbria and offers a variety of access services to users in the public, academic and commercial sectors.
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Last of the Lion Brand
A tale of donkeys and doorsteps, and the passing of a northern tradition.
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Overview
Once upon a time, a woman scrubbing her front doorstep with a donkey stone was a common sight in northern cities. Times change, though, and this short colour film records the closure in February 1979 of Eli Whalley & Co, the last donkey stone manufacturer in Ashton-under-Lyne. We also learn of the efforts of Tameside Museum Service to preserve a material record of a once flourishing industry.
This film was produced by undergraduate film students at Manchester Polytechnic, now Manchester Metropolitan University.
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