LAST week we published the second in a series of fascinating photos from film just made available by the British Film Institute.

The collection of rare and previously unseen historical footage of coastal life in the South West of England has been made available on BFI Player as part of British Film Institute’s Britain on Film: Coast and Sea national project.

This week the images are from Richard Dimbley’s 1951 film Come with Me to Bridport.

Mr Dimbleby props up a bar in Bridport and conducts some leisurely interviews with locals over a pint and a cigarette.

He also visits tradesmen and craftspeople in surrounding villages, from sand merchant Geoffrey Good, who uses shire horses to collect shingle from Chesil Bank, to Olive Legge, a netmaker, known as a ‘braider’. 

As well as the appealing rural charm, there are plenty of unusual industrial processes on show - look out for the tennis-net making. 

The project includes films spanning 100 years, covering an enormous range of subjects and there’s a chance to choose subjects and areas you’re interested in thanks to the interactive map.

Filmed by professional filmmakers and amateur hobbyists alike, these glimpses into the past, many of which have never been available before, have been sourced and curated by the BFI National Archive along with regional and national film archives across the UK, including the South West Film & Television Archive (SWFTA), to offer the public the opportunity to witness past generations’ relationships with coastal Britain.

See player.bfi.org.uk