Film archive saved by lottery funding
Hours of archive film footage showing Wolverhampton life from the 50s to the 70s have been rescued from the brink of extinction, in a lottery-funded preservation project.
The black and white and colour footage shot by Wolverhampton-based production company Warners, includes footage of the Queen's visit to Wolverhampton in May 1962, a 1961 Black Country travelogue, a military parade by the South Staffordshire Regiment from 1962, a promotional film for the West Midlands band Kansas Hook shot in 1970, and even News Travels Fast – a day in the life of the Express & Star, filmed in 1960.
Gone to Press from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
Royal Visit to the Wednesfield and Willenhall Urban District of Staffordshire from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
Wolverhampton City Archives in partnership with the Media Archive for Central England has carried out the work to preserve the film records, which were at risk of becoming unusable due to vinegar syndrome, which causes film to decay.
The two-year project, which began in May 2013 and ended in March 2015 was funded through a Heritage Lottery Grant of £69,100.
County Borough of Wolverhampton Transport Department Driver Training Film from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
More than 50 different recordings have now been digitised and reconstructed and volunteers from the archives have also been researching the backgrounds of some of the people and companies featured in the collection.
For Sallie Birtwisle, who grew up in Penn, the project has brought back memories of the happiest day of her life.
The Marriage of Miss Sarah Leslie Turton with Mr Richard William Anthony Birtwisle from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
She was contacted by MACE and given the news that the video document of her wedding day had been restored.
Sallie, now 73 and living in Nantwich, Cheshire, had never seen the video of her happy day, which was held at Christ Church in Tettenhall Wood on July 31, 1965.
She said being able to see her late husband Richard and all of their friends and family again was 'the best thing to happen to me all year'.
A Day to Remember from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
She said: "It was absolutely wonderful to watch the day back. I have watched it more times than I can even remember, I see something different every time."
The results of the project have now gone on display at an exhibition called Rescuing Warners, held at Wolverhampton City Archives on Whitmore Hill.
Senior curator and member of MACE, Phil Leach, said: "It has taken a lot of hard work to get the films to this stage and everyone has done a great job.
Wolverhampton Girls High School Jubilee from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
"A lot of these films haven't been seen for around 40 or 50 years and we think it is wonderful that they are now preserved digitally for future generations."
Founded by Matthew Richard Warner as a chemist, Warners, was based in Chapel Ash from at least 1901, and by 1915 also had a branch on Stafford Road.
It branched out into photographic supplies in the 1920s, and by 1955 M R Warner & Son Ltd was advertising itself as a photographic, cine and visual aid specialist. It was the official photographer for the council in 1960. In the 1960s it also operated a large department for commercial photography, producing promotional films for local industries, and still had a presence in Chapel Ash into the 1980s.
Kansas Hook - Echo Park from MACE Archive on Vimeo.
Rescuing Warners will be on display at Wolverhampton City Archives, Molineux Hotel Building, Whitmore Hill, until August 5. Wolverhampton City Archives is open Tuesdays from 10am-4pm, Wednesdays from 10am-7pm and Thursdays from 10am-4pm and admission is free. For further details, please call 01902 552480.
