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Village life in Minstead with Weddings, Ladies Cricket, Folk Dancing and Coronation Celebrations

Minstead's ladies enjoy a cricket match on the village green in this charming film that also features two weddings, a holiday and a giant crab

Amateur film 1937 12 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Wessex Film and Sound Archive

Overview

The Rev Henry Horton's charming film set in the New Forest begins with two weddings and a caravan holiday in Brixham and Fowey in Cornwall - at one point a man can be seen holding an enormous crab. This is followed by shots of the parish caravan in use and Minstead's ladies enjoying a cricket match on the village green. Coronation Day celebrations follow with church going, folk dancing and a country fun fair with a pummel horse and a jousting trial - which ends in a ducking.

The Reverend Harry Horton, who made this and many other films featuring village life in Minstead, was Rector of All Saints Church between 1932 and 1943. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife are both buried in the churchyard. Many of the Revd Horton's films are now held at the Wessex Fim & Sound Archive in Winchester.