Briefing [09/04/1984]

From the collection of

The North East Film Archive, based at Teesside University, save and celebrate the screen heritage of the North East of England. At the heart of their collection are films made by, and for, local people, reflecting and representing the communities, places and distinctive identity of the region. Together with their sister archive in Yorkshire they form the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, a unique pan-regional resource with over 75,000 moving image artefacts, part of York St John University. They unlock the collections for artists, academics, curators, programmers, researchers, and producers to reveal compelling stories from the vaults. www.yfanefa.com

Briefing [09/04/1984] (Briefing)

North East Film Archive
York
1984-04-09
Sound

How can the attractions of Northumberland ever hope to compete with York's new Disneyfication of history?

From the moment developers on the Coppergate building site in York found Viking-era archaeology, the race was on to discover as much about the settlement as possible before a new shopping centre was built on the land. However, the site had a guardian angel in the form of Constable Ian Skipper, a businessman who took an interest in the project and wanted to fund an ongoing archaeological dig.

With his help the York Archaeological Trust were able to raise money to create a revenue-generating visitor attraction in the basement of the new shopping centre, which would not only save the archaeology, but also fund future digs in the city. The Jorvik Viking Centre remains a successful tourist attraction and has welcomed nearly 20 million visitors since opening in 1984.

In this edition of Briefing, the importance of tourism in the northeast: one of the region's biggest employers. Kevin Roundtree reports from York following the opening of the Jorvik Viking Centre, and asks, what are the benefits tourism has brought to the city, and what are the drawbacks? Are other tourist sites, such as Beamish Museum in County Durham and Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, losing out, and if so, what can be done about it?

The '80s in the North East

For a phoenix to rise there must first be ashes: these films capture the hungry years when hope was hard to find.

The once-thriving powerhouse of Northern industry was stripped back during the 1980s as the region lost coal mines, shipyards, steelworks and many more employers besides. The decline of the North East economy was particularly hard on school-leavers, who had fewer skills and no work experience to fall back on in an increasingly bleak jobs market.

10 videos in this collection

Briefing [24/05/1982]

Newcastle upon Tyne
1982-05-24

Briefing [21/02/1983]

Newcastle upon Tyne
1983-02-21

Briefing [05/12/1983]

Newcastle upon Tyne
1983-12-05

Social Workers

Newcastle upon Tyne
1984-01-23

Briefing [20/02/1984]

Gateshead
1984-02-20