“London Landmarks” is a short, black-and-white 16mm educational film on the sites and historical landmarks in London – then the world’s largest city. Presented by Castle Films, this film takes viewers around London in 1960. Castle Films was a film company founded in California by former newsreel cameraman Eugene W. Castle (1897–1960) in 1924. Originally, Castle Films produced industrial and advertising films. Then in 1937, the company pioneered the production and distribution of 8mm and 16mm films for home projection.
Opening credits, Castle Films logo (0:08). View of London Tower castle and London Bridge (0:17). Draw bridge of London Tower Bridge opens over the Thames River (0:28). Close-up Tower of London built by William the Conqueror (0:46). Royal Guard marches at tower walls wearing English Beefeater hat (0:48). View of tower from below (0:59). Black raven walks gravel grounds of tower (1:07). Yeoman Warder at Tower of London poses for photo with tourists (1:12). Crowd gathers at gate of Buckingham Palace (1:20). Changing of the guard ceremony – crowds look on as brigade of Palace Guards in full dress march through gates, play various brass instruments (1:33). Wide shot Buckingham Palace, The Queen Victoria Memorial (1:47). Street sign City of Westminster Downing St. (1:53). Tourists pose in front of 10 Downing Street, residence of England’s Prime Ministers (1:55). Big Ben and Houses of Parliament/ Palace of Westminster seen from across the banks of the Thames (2:03). Red double-decker bus passes below Bank of England and the Royal Exchange; the Griffin statue marks Temple Bar in the beginning of the city (2:17). City traffic in front of Bank of England (left) and the Royal Exchange (2:34). Trafalgar Square – Nelson’s Column, The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square Lions (2:43). Aerial view busses, cars, commercial trucks at Piccadilly Circus; large advert for Coca Cola; the Statue of Eros; London Pavilion, Criterion Theatre (3:02). Young men and women sit on steps of the Statue of Eros (3:16). Red double-decker buses drive along Fleet Street (3:24). The Great Clock at St. Paul’s Cathedral (3:29). Facade of The Daily Express building on Fleet Street “street of ink” (3:38). Telegraph Building and Clock (3:41). Bus traffic along Regent Street, (3:45). Sign for New Bond St “the street of quality,” shopping street (3:56). Fenwick Department Store, Bond Street (3:59). Man in woman nicely dressed, woman in fur coat (4:05). Policeman “bobby” stands at intersection, helps give young women directions (4:19). Leicester Square – street performers “the Happy Wanderers traveling minstrels” entertain horde of pedestrians standing on sidewalk; perhaps in queue for admission to the Empire and Ritz cinemas (4:51). Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park – crowd gathers around man, woman making a speeches (5:29). View of The Serpentine lake, Hyde Park framed by tree leaves, couples in row boat, crowded shore of sunbathers and swimmers (6:03). Sunbathers and picnickers along grass fields of Hyde Park (6:16). The Bandstand in Hyde Park (6:19). (6:29). The Cenotaph war memorial on Whitehall, memorial to the British and Commonwealth dead of WWI, WWII (6:31). St. Paul’s Cathedral (6:40). Queen’s Birthday Parade “Trooping of the Colour” ceremony, Queen rides on horseback while wearing scarlet tunic with insignia of colonel in chief of the regiment, palace guards in beefeater hats in formation also on horseback; over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses (6:46). Westminster Abbey (8:00).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
