A Garden of Beautiful Roses

  • Details
  • Contextual Information
  • A still from
  • A still from
  • ID no. 3907
  • Accession no. WS 990127
Date [ca. 1952]
Production Mr. A.J. Birch
Collection Haywards Heath Cine Society
Genre/Type
Theme Family life
Summary This film shows girls playing outside at Barcombe Place, East Sussex, which was a Barnardo's Home for girls in the late 1940s and 1950s, before becoming a mixed home until the early 1970s.
Description This film focuses on the girls of various ages at Barcombe Place home, showing many of them engaged in sports and other activities on the lawns outside the house on a summer's day. All the filming takes place outside; the house itself is not featured in the scenes.
A number of shots show the girls in close up, looking and smiling at the camera. In a few of the scenes, the camera focuses specifically on one black toddler (Ingrid), being pushed on the swings by a member of staff (Geraldine Sherwell), also sitting on a horse and being carried. Activities the girls are seen engaging in include: golf putting, playing tennis, riding bicycles, trikes and scooters, riding a horse, pushing a pram, paddling in a pool, and being pushed on the swings. A group of the girls play musical instruments together, mainly violin and recorder. In other scenes the girls enact a story through dance, wearing costumes; in another, they perform country style dancing. The film finishes with the title 'These happy girls live at "Barcombe Place" Barcombe Sussex' followed by a black and white still image of Barcombe Place itself.
Keywords Bicycles; Children; Dance; Ethnic Groups; Leisure Time Activities; Performing Arts; Play; Social Welfare; Sport; Summer
Location
Local Barcombe
Regional East Sussex
National
Credits
Camera Mr. A.J. Birch
Participants
  • Geraldine Sherwell (member of staff)
  • Jennifer (girl)
  • Ingrid (girl)
Format
Duration 8 mins 20 secs
Viewing copy
location		 Screen Archive South East, University of Brighton
This material is protected by copyright. Contact Screen Archive South East for access details.