National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Owen Humberstone Prosser - Ebbw Vale
Owen Humberstone Prosser, an expert on railways and canals, captured the Crumlin Viaduct on film in 1959, before its demolition in 1967, a victim of the Beeching rail cuts.
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Overview
Crumlin Viaduct, the highest railway viaduct in the UK, had stood for over a 100 years before it was demolished in 1967, a crumbling victim of the Beeching rail cuts. Here its ironwork is seen in colour, in 1959, along with the Stroud brick viaduct and Newport’s Transporter Bridge. There is also footage of the Risca-Tredegar line and the Richard Thomas and Baldwin Trefil Quarry line, that carried the tonnes of limestone needed each day in the RTB iron/steelworks.
The film-maker, Owen Humberstone Prosser (1923-2004), was an acknowledged expert on railways and canals, on which he worked as a restoration volunteer (e.g. the Talyllyn Railway), and on public transport. In later life, he supported Sustrans, a charity established in the 1990s which is devoted to enabling more people to make more journeys on foot or by bike or public transport.
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