A collection of rare and previously unseen historical footage of coastal life in The South West of England has been made available for all to view on BFI Player as part of BFI’s Britain on Film: Coast and Sea national project via an interactive map.  

Local highlights of the collection, that includes 600 films spanning 100 years, covers subjects including conger eel fishing, Australian lifeguards, flooding and leisure.

Filmed by professional film-makers and amateur hobbyists alike, these glimpses into the past (many of which have never been available before) have been sourced and curated by the BFI National Archive along with regional and national film archives across the UK, including the South West Film & Television Archive (SWFTA), to offer the public the opportunity to witness past generations’ relationships with coastal Britain.