London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
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School Sports at Walthamstow Stadium
At now-demolished Walthamstow Stadium, an amateur filmmaker captures the thrills of a sports day as well as the arena's famed Art Deco facade
From the collection of:
Overview
A lingering shot of Walthamstow Stadium's famous facade opens this lovely amateur film of a 1965 sports day, in which Larkswood Primary schoolchildren file out of Routemaster buses before filling up the vast stands. Cue epic obstacle races, thrilling sprints and a jolly line dance on the pitch. Parents' race is equally fun, with the champion leaving her rivals in the dust. After collecting their trophies, exhausted winners join the other athletes resting on the grass.
The Walthamstow Stadium on Chingford Road was opened in 1933 with Amy Johnson in attendance. Throughout its existence, the stadium served primarily as a dog racing track, but also played host to stock car racing, speedway and, as shown in the film, athletics. Closed in 2012, the stadium was later demolished to make way for nearly 300 new homes; however, the Grade II-listed front facade remains.
This film is from the collection of Vestry House Museum
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