The Shimmering North

A personal history on film of Stockton and the surrounding areas

"
Most
of us have them, lurking at the back of dusty cupboards; films of births and
marriages, new houses and trips to the seaside, home movies shot to serve as a
personal chronicle for family and friends. But as archivists we’ve seen how
home movies can be much more than that, documenting social as well as a
personal history.

"

Seaside Town 1950s, Kinolibrary, 1959, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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Some of the most remarkable films in our collection are home movies shot in the North of England from 1959 and into the early 1960s by local man Gordon Richards. Far from the gritty, stereotypical North with grey smoky cityscapes, Richards takes the viewer on a trip through vibrant bustling streets, shimmering in the early summer sunshine.

The streets of Redcar in 1959, Kinolibrary, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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What sets the footage apart from many home movies of the era is the quality of the film stock, whereas most home movies in the early 1960s were shot on 8mm film, and often in black and white, Richards shot on expensive colour 16mm stock. It’s hard to imagine these days when many of us have an HD video camera on our phones but in the early 1960s to shoot home movies in high quality colour was a huge privilege, and incredibly rare for a normal working man.

,
Parade in Redcar, Kinolibrary, 1960/1964, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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"The quality may be professional but the intimacy and access to the people he shot tells of how these were films made by a local man with his camera.

They seem relaxed and unselfconscious of being observed as we see in this footage filmed in his local market. "

Early 1960s Stockton Market, Kinolibrary, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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Outside a pub in Stockton in 1960s, Kinolibrary, 1960/1964, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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The 1960s were a time of great change for the North of England. Whilst much of the focus on the change has been the decline of the industries, Richards instead filmed urban regeneration as old buildings were demolished and replaced with new modern blocks as part of post WWII building projects. The demolitions were a local spectacle drawing many onlookers (including some other home movie makers).

1960s Urban Regeneration, Kinolibrary, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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Taking his camera off the streets Richards also filmed local ballroom dance classes and competitions. Here’s a joyous moment of teenage rebellion when kids at the Butlin's Social Club in Stockton, shake off the formal moves of ballroom and dance to rock and roll.

Changing trends of dancing, Kinolibrary, From the collection of: Kinolibrary
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Seeing the past through the intimate eye of a local filmmaker, brings our social history to life. Filming not for public consumption, but for his own personal record they are free from any institutional or political motivation and present a world that is a far cry from the ‘Grim Up North’ stereotype of the time.

Credits: Story

Curator—Serena Sharp, Kinolibrary

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.
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