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Herne Bay's new tower block

Watch Herne Bay's newest high-rise building grow from its foundations to its topping out - in John Clague's film featuring his own architectural creation

Amateur film 1975 5 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Screen Archive South East

Overview

John Clague's film captures another arrival at the Kings Road Development in Herne Bay. With hardly a hard-hat to be seen we see the structure slowly rising from its foundations. A crane soars up into the sky while scaffolding clads the growing structure. Then, along with the developers and architects, we get views from the top of the building - looking down on nearby gardens and car parks before taking in views of the seaside town itself - with the North Sea in the distance.

John Clague was a keen amateur filmmaker who was based in Herne Bay. From 1934 to 1970 he produced annual newsreels showing events in Kent, particularly in Herne Bay and Canterbury. He used 9.5mm film at first but by the 1950s had adopted 16mm film and the collection forms a lively chronicle of Kentish life over 36 years. An architect by profession, John set up his own company in the 1930s, working on a diverse range of projects throughout the region.