Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is part of Free
Journey home to Canterbury
Join the Blighs on their homeward journey through the Southern counties - calling at Glastonbury and various ancient landmarks east
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Overview
Starting in Glastonbury, Sydney Bligh's film records his family's journey home to Canterbury. After a stroll about the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, we travel to Wells Cathedral. The Vicar of Wells is seen walking in the Palace Garden with Mrs Bligh. Then we see the soaring spire of Salisbury Cathedral before calling at Stonehenge - where Mrs Bligh poses among the ancient stones. After some quick stops at Winchester and Chichester, we enjoy a stroll in a Worthing garden.
Sydney Bligh ran a wireless and electronics shop called S.W.Bligh, which was on North Lane in Canterbury. He was an early pioneer of radio, beginning his experiments in 1913 using the call-sign BXA. By the early 1920s Bligh was broadcasting his own shows - before becoming one of the founder members of the British Broadcasting Company. As well as his work as an amateur filmmaker he also was an early pioneer of television and developed some components that improved television reception.
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