Crabbers

From the collection of

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton
Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton collects, preserves, catalogues and provides public access to its collection of films and magic lantern slides. The collection charts the rise of screen culture in the region and the nation and captures many aspects of life, work and creativity in the South East from the late 19th century to the present day. It is available for research, screenings, creative re-use and commercial access.

Crabbers


This beautiful colour film from D J Church follows the work of the Crabbers of Newlyn - who catch the crabs that go into tea-time pots of paste

D J Church's film begins with a garden tea party, with crab sandwiches on the menu. Next we move to Coverack in Cornwall to see the Crabber's in action; preparing their boats, retrieving storepots and unloading their substantial catch into baskets. Full baskets of edible crabs and lobsters are loaded onto the quayside and weighed. The catch is loaded onto a truck from Newlyn and taken away. Women separate the crab meat from the shells and the film ends back at the tea party.

D J Church lived in Horley, East Grinstead and Slinfold. He was a founder member of the Haywards Heath Cine Society and served as vice-chairman from 1954 to 1957 and as Chairman until 1958. Established in 1949, the society, which would later alter its name to the Haywards Heath Cine and Video Society, to incorporate new technology, is still actively filming scenes and events in Haywards Heath and the surrounding area, though it is now operates under the title of the Haywards Heath Movie Makers. Screen Archive South East has a large number of the society's films and videos in its collection, dating from the 1930s to the present day.


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