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Elmdon Park - January 1963

mbenne

master brummie
My son has been on to me for quite some time to digitise Dad's 8mm home movies. So far I've done only one,
Christmas 1963, which was almost eight years ago and has just re-appeared on the BHF thread - Christmas 2020.

To say I have my work cut out is an understatement, with sound recordings on reel to reel tape from the 50's, various 8mm films throughout the 60s as well as my own home movies on CD, Vhs and camcorder tapes. Technology is changing as fast as I am ageing and though I have a multitude of software to digitise it the learning curve is rather steep. And its taking longer than I thought!

So here's another, Elmdon Park, January 1963. The intro was stock 8mm film Dad purchased from Dixons to add a little professionalism. It's largely unedited and in its original form, apart from a few adjustments to film contrast and brightness -
a little longer than I would have liked (8 Mins) and without a sound track. After so many years I can't believe seeing Mom rolling a ciggy again (which she eventually gave up) and I'd forgotten that awful hand knitted Xmas Tree jumper my Dad got from his sister that Christmas lol.

Dad never dated his films, only pencilling cryptic titles onto the film reels but I know this was January 1963, towards the end of the Christmas school term holiday. My friend's Dad had made a sledge from an old wooden pallet, to which he nailed a couple of sheet metal strips for runners. We were just as anxious to try it out as was my Dad to try his newly acquired movie camera. Being junior cameraman meant I had to nip out of the sidecar at predetermined locations and position myself down the road to film the journey from different perspectives. It was a novelty that would soon wear off once rehearsing for camera shots and acting for future films became the norm and a right PIA!

Despite rapid development of the nearby Rover Works the park has changed very little, though the lake, now surrounded by many trees, is no longer visible from the crest of the hill where Elmdon Hall once stood.

Ps the lady on ski's was my Mom's PE teacher at Silvermere Road School, Sheldon in the early 40's.


 
My son has been on to me for quite some time to digitise Dad's 8mm home movies. So far I've done only one,
Christmas 1963, which was almost eight years ago and has just re-appeared on the BHF thread - Christmas 2020.

To say I have my work cut out is an understatement, with sound recordings on reel to reel tape from the 50's, various 8mm films throughout the 60s as well as my own home movies on CD, Vhs and camcorder tapes. Technology is changing as fast as I am ageing and though I have a multitude of software to digitise it the learning curve is rather steep. And its taking longer than I thought!

So here's another, Elmdon Park, January 1963. The intro was stock 8mm film Dad purchased from Dixons to add a little professionalism. It's largely unedited and in its original form, apart from a few adjustments to film contrast and brightness -
a little longer than I would have liked (8 Mins) and without a sound track. After so many years I can't believe seeing Mom rolling a ciggy again (which she eventually gave up) and I'd forgotten that awful hand knitted Xmas Tree jumper my Dad got from his sister that Christmas lol.

Dad never dated his films, only pencilling cryptic titles onto the film reels but I know this was January 1963, towards the end of the Christmas school term holiday. My friend's Dad had made a sledge from an old wooden pallet, to which he nailed a couple of sheet metal strips for runners. We were just as anxious to try it out as was my Dad to try his newly acquired movie camera. Being junior cameraman meant I had to nip out of the sidecar at predetermined locations and position myself down the road to film the journey from different perspectives. It was a novelty that would soon wear off once rehearsing for camera shots and acting for future films became the norm and a right PIA!

Despite rapid development of the nearby Rover Works the park has changed very little, though the lake, now surrounded by many trees, is no longer visible from the crest of the hill where Elmdon Hall once stood.

Ps the lady on ski's was my Mom's PE teacher at Silvermere Road School, Sheldon in the early 40's.


mbenne, CONGRATULATIONS to you, you did it! I am sure many of us (we do for sure) have many rolls of those family pictures. And BTW I loved the sidecar!
 
mbenne, CONGRATULATIONS to you, you did it! I am sure many of us (we do for sure) have many rolls of those family pictures. And BTW I loved the sidecar!
Thanks. Was great in the summer. Open top standing up, breeze in your face. Winter, curled up freezing
 
hi mbenne (sorry forgotten your first name)...that chirstmas 63 video i posted on the christmas 2020 thread is that your family in it and would that be yourself in the red jumper...just viewed your winter 63 video...its amazing and how lucky you and your family are to have such memories to look back on...although time consuming please post another one as soon as you can...i wished i had some of my family...by the way you were an awful shot with the snowballs :D :D

lyn
 
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hi mbenne (sorry forgotten your first name)...that chirstmas 63 video i posted on the christmas 2020 thread is that your family in it and would that be yourself in the red jumper...just viewed your winter 63 video...its amazing and how lucky you and your family are to have such memories to look back on...although time consuming please post another one as soon as you can...i wished i had some of my family...by the way you were an awful shot with the snowballs :D :D

lyn
Yes. It was me. As it happens I do have another that I finished this just this week. Its now Christmas 1964 and I still have the same red jumper
 
Despite rapid development of the nearby Rover Works the park has changed very little, though the lake, now surrounded by many trees, is no longer visible from the crest of the hill where Elmdon Hall once stood.

Ps the lady on ski's was my Mom's PE teacher at Silvermere Road School, Sheldon in the early 40's.


Thanks for the video of Elmdon Park. Memories of when mom lived in Damson Lane, probably 10 years after your film, we would often walk in that park. Remember one snowy occasion when my wife asked a somewhat shocked youngster if she could borrow his sledge to ride down that slope.
 
It was great to see your video of Elmdon Park. So much has changed but on the other hand so much is the same.... I loved seeing the sidecar too. I don’t remember the lake before it was fenced off. The lake must have been really frozen to be walking on it without anyone paying attention. I do know that the Winter of 63 was very cold though and the snow lasted for months.
 
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