Abstract

Nottingham on Film, written, produced and edited by filmmaker Andy McKay pieces together rarely seen and newly restored films of the city of Nottingham from 1920 to 1980, arranging these hidden gems into ten themes so the viewer can choose how to make their exploration of twentieth century Nottingham.
Known as “The Queen of the Midlands”, Nottingham is an ancient city with a rich cultural and industrial history. The twentieth century saw rapid change for Nottingham, in the market square - the largest in England outside the capital and scene of many civic celebrations, in industry and transport, as well as in everyday life - and the new medium of film was there to record this change.
Among the rarely seen films, all preserved by MACE, are scenes of enjoyment at the Goose Fair, coronation celebrations, life on the shop floor in knitwear, lace, bicycle and tobacco manufacture, trade on the River Trent and a wealth of news reports from ITV’s regional news magazine programme, ATV Today. These include the opening of Nottingham Playhouse and building work of the ‘new’ Victoria Centre in 1964.