Rent Britain's First Photo Album: South and South West (2012)
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1h 15min
- General info
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- Synopsis:
Join John Sergeant in this fascinating BBC documentary as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of pioneering Victorian photographer Francis Frith. Frith set himself the formidable task of photographing as much of Britain as possible in the latter half of the 19th century. Sergeant examines the manner in which Frith set about doing so and attempts to put the endeavour in historical perspective.
Isle of Wight to StonehengeJohn Sergeant is attempting to follow in Frith's footsteps, finding out what has changed, what has stayed the same and what has gone forever. John's journey begins on the Isle of Wight, where he visits one of the oldest theme parks in the world, sampling the wares of a Hampshire brewing town and using early photographs to prove that Stonehenge has not stood as we know it for quite as long as we might imagine.
Lyme Regis to Barnstaple
John travels to the South West to find out how much has changed, how much has stayed the same and what is gone forever from the time of the Frith pictures as well as taking his own photos. He visits an ancient watermill in Lyme Regis, investigating the dungeons of Exeter Guildhall and learning the techniques of farming with heavy horses.
Newport to Gloucester
The journey continues in South Wales and John takes four more of his own pictures. John finds out about the restoration of the canals of Monmouthshire and heads deep underground to the caves beneath the Forest of Dean to try his hand at ochre mining and visiting Gloucester, where the photo of a cottage leads to the tale of how Britain's very first state schools came about.- Actors:
- John Sergeant, Francis Frith
- Directors:
- Stephen Taylor Woodrow
- Producers:
- Richard Farmbrough, Stephen Taylor Woodrow
- Narrated By:
- John Sergeant
- Studio:
- Demand DVD
- Genres:
- Children & Family, Documentary, Special Interest
