Burnham Beeches in a Ford Anglia

The film included in this post shows four people having a picnic and day out at Burnham Beeches in their Ford Anglia car sometime (I estimate) in the 1960s.

The film was shot on a single reel of Ferrania, Standard 8 film.

Burnham Beeches in a Ford Anglia

When the film starts the scene appears to be of a couple picnicking next to their car, with a blanket laid out on the grass and a stove set up to boil water for tea. After a while it is apparent that there is actually a second couple here as well. The lady sitting on the grass in a blue dress is obscuring another lady in a white dress who also blends in with the car; it’s only after the first lady moves that we see the other lady. The other clue to the second couple is the fact that the camera pans to follow the action so is not on a tripod, as I first though, but is being directed by the other person at the scene.

I’m not an expert on cars, but I think the model they have is a Ford Anglia or possibly Ford Zephyr.

The location is definitely Burnham Beeches because the second scene of the film shows the car parked next to the sign showing the Burnham Beeches bye laws. The interesting point about this scene is that the camera zooms in to see the sign which gives a clue as to the type of  camera used. I suspect the addition of a zoom lens would probably put the camera above the entry level models.

Following the scenes at Burnham Beeches, the film records a trip by the same couple to a country side location next to a lake with a bridge across, and then a river running through rocky countryside. This could have been taken on a holiday in the Lake District or the Peak District. If anyone recognises the location please let me know in the comments below.