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Barr Beacon

At Barr Beacon in 1935 the 3rd Walsall Sea Scouts built a precarious looking bonfire to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Piles of tea chests and timber await the inferno in this short piece of film shot by sea scout master Leonard Stanley in 1935. The way the scouts built the bonfire would not be acceptable to the health and safety people of today!
British Film Institute films are sometimes not easy to watch. The 'Watch for Free' button is on the right and you may need to scroll right to find it. Browser zoom should be set to 70% if possible. Displays best on an iPad running Safari.
 
What a lovely film, when it was a happier , quieter, world than now, so many happy smiling faces. Paul
The scout sawing the wood probably found his saw seizing as he cut through but I suppose he learnt.

On Coronation Day 1953 I went with most youngsters in our road to a bonfire on Barr Beacon. It was drizzling light rain as we walked the 3 miles there but we soon dried out as we stood by the bonfire eating blackened roast potatoes and drinking bottles of fizzy Vimto !
 
And BFI films cannot be played outside of the UK. (I can't be bothered to set up a fake IP address!)

Maurice
 
The Opera browser has a VPN option. You can put your self, theoretically, in other continents which probably allow viewing.
VPN is useful but I would not suggest using it all the time especially with banking and similar sensitive sites who will assume you are not who your say you are due to location.
 
What a lovely film, when it was a happier , quieter, world than now, so many happy smiling faces. Paul
4 years before WW2 Paul, Hitler was in the ascendancy in Europe persecuting the Jews.
Notice the bonfire was made up of mainly Davenports beer at home wooden crates.
Hope that's not what there drinking.
 
:)These are photo's of the pheasy old folks club from years ago. My nan is on both of them. TTFN. Jean.
Dear Jean, I can see your post is from many years ago now - but if you are still out there, would it be possible to re-post your pic of the Pheasey Old Folks club please? Would that have been the inside of the Old Barn, used as a community centre way back?
Many thanks, Carolann
 
Hi! I think you might mean the Bella Pais? Very posh to us in the 1970's but very good food! And it was quite posh and we went there for special occasions - as the alternative was a Berni Inn!! No, it's gone now sadly. A small complex of nice houses last time I passed there. I think it's called Bella Pais Close, possibly. A good choice of name. :). If you google Bella Pais you can see the new houses. All the best.
 
The chap who owned the Bella Pais also bought The Old Irish Harp at Aldridge, down the Chester Road, and turned it from a lovely atmospheric old-fashioned pub into a so-so eatery. Such is progress.....

G
 
I don't know who he was, but the Bella Pais did have the feel of being abroad somewhere on a nice summer evening. I can remember in the 70's driving with my boyfriend (I was about 18) down the Chester Rd and stopping off at the Old Irish Harp. It was a proper farming pub and very quaint and old fashioned. There were farmers/farm workers, who looked up at us - two teenagers who'd stopped off for a shandy and wished the floor would open up! No music, no crisps!! ;-) A lovely old pub at that time. Like stepping back to the 19th century!
 
Dear Jean, I can see your post is from many years ago now - but if you are still out there, would it be possible to re-post your pic of the Pheasey Old Folks club please? Would that have been the inside of the Old Barn, used as a community centre way back?
Many thanks, Carolann
Hi Maurice let me know about your post and I will sort it for you will be my pleasure.
 

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Hi Jean,

I have no problem. My message related to Carolann's post, but that has all been sorted now. Thanks.

Maurice :cool:
 
Thank you Jean! Excellent picture. Which road on Pheasey was this taken in? Do you have any other photos of Pheasey around this time? Thanks again. Carolann.
I am not too sure Carolann. I have a photo of Aunt Phyl in her nurses uniform in her back garden.
 

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