Become a time traveller at University

Interested in finding out more about local history? Then come along to a free screening of archive films illustrating some key periods of Middlesbrough’s past at the University of Teesside on Wednesday 25 February.

The film show, called Middlesbrough on Film, begins at 2pm and will be screened at the main lecture theatre of University of Teesside’s Constantine Building, which is adjoined to the Middlesbrough Tower. Ask at the Middlesbrough Tower reception for directions to the Constantine Building main lecture theatre.

Middlesbrough on Film will be hosted by Leo Enticknap, film historian and lecturer in Media Studies at the university, who will introduce the programme and provide commentary about the films on show. Among the films to be shown are a variety of scenes from daily life in Middlesbrough throughout the century. The films range from the early colour home movies taken by the well-known local figure, the dentist T.H. Brown, and industrial footage of steelmaking in the 1930s, to news reports about local residents fight to stop the razing of the housing on Cannon Street.

Patricia Zakreski, film access and education officer at the university, said: “These films will appeal to anyone who is interested in the history of our region, particularly the Cannon Street Redevelopment, which caused a lot of controversy at the time and is still a topic of discussion for a lot of people. I also think the other films about the area, such as the story about an unsolved murder at a Middlesbrough carpet shop, will be fascinating viewing.”

The film show, which is being organised by the University of Teesside, draws on films from the Northern Region Film & Television Archive (NRFTA). The NRFTA stores thousands of hours of TV footage filmed all over the north, including an extensive collection of BBC and Tyne Tees newsreels, home movies from amateur film-makers and corporate videos and training films from some of the big companies in and around the area. It is an invaluable resource for local historians, filmmakers, and member of the public.

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