Cross: Duke of York at Abington Park 1930

Summary

Cross family home movie including shots of the Duke of York opening a pageant at Abington Park in Northampton.

Year:

1930

Duration:

0:15:01

Film type:

Black & White / Silent

Genre:

Home Movie

Company:

Master format:

16mm

Description

We open with shots of people in the garden of the Cross family home in Northampton (some are very brief shots) including a man cartwheeling across the lawn. We also see a group of people drinking wine in the garden (wearing winter coats). We then briefly see a large aircraft hangar with the doors closed (RAF Cardington in Bedfordshire). Further scenes in the garden follow. We then cut to a field where a girl is learning to ride a pony. A man then gallops his horse towards the camera. Back in the garden, William Cross practises his golf and poses for the camera. A young woman is then seen reclining on an outdoor chair wearing a fur coat and then dozing with the family's pet dog. Next in a conservatory a group of adults sit down to lunch - wine is drunk - and they dance arm in arm for the camera. A visit to Warwick Castle is next with the castle just visible through trees. Another gathering in the garden follows marred by an unsteady camera.

The next section shows a visit to Northampton by the Duke of York (the future King George VI) on 26 May 1930 to attend the Northampton Festival Trades Exhibition. He walks past crowds of people accompanied by local dignitaries and is then seen arriving at Abington Park to see an historic pageant. We then cut to a railway station and (quite hard to make out) we see the arrival of the train and an official group of visitors (presumably more guests for the exhibition) walking along the platform and then boarding buses outside. The visitors take their seats in the Abington Park arena and further shots of the historic pageant follow.

A short section showing an air show follows with a De Havilland 80A 'Puss Moth' monoplane taxiing and a view of an Italian Breda aircraft. The final section shows a beekeeper (who is not wearing protective clothing) opening up a bee hive and poking the bees with his finger.


Credits

No credits specified


Notes