Scottish Screen Archive

[bobandbryony]

Hi everyone - Thanks for making us newcomers feel at home.

I'm sure you all knew this but just in case you didn't we discovered that the National Library of Scotland - Scottish Screen Archive section has hundreds of films dating back to the early 1900s. Many of these can be viewed on line or purchased at a small cost. The subject matter is very diverse and appears to covers all parts of Scotland. Search facilities are excellent. We particularly like the early films of which there are 40 from the first decade of the 20th Century. Those interested in the border areas will find many films from this era in the "Border Newsreels"which cover such subjects as the Hawick Common Riding. If you want to know what the center of Aberdeen looked like in 1910 in "moving pictures" this is where to look. Education,farming and sporting and ceremonial events are all covered as well as information films from the government.

We were lucky enough to find a short film called "The Return of the Scotia" which covers the return and disembarking of the scientific crew from the ship after their voyage to Antarctica in 1902-1904. So we could actually see our our relation - the taxidermist Alastair Ross -and we believe his mum and dad following him up the quayside with beaming smiles on their faces.

Almost every man in the crowd was wearing a hat although many of these were thrown in the air during the 3 cheers. Many of the ladies too wore extravagant headgear and it made us wonder how much of the average person's hard earned income was spent on their "Sunday Best" during what one imagined were difficult economic times for the working man.

Anyway we think the site is worth a visit to put some actual faces to the people and places we are researching. Hope you enjoy it.

Scottish Screen Archive: http://ssa.nls.uk/

Bob and Bryony

[Liz Turner]

Hi Bob & Bryony

The Scottish Screen Archive is a great site and for those who want to actually "see" clips of Scotland from decades past, it is easy to browse around.

Thank you for posting this in the resources area. I'm sure that a lot of visitors to TS will spot the link and be glad that you did!

Liz