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Mining Review 17/7: End of the Road (1964)
 

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Main image of Mining Review 17/7: End of the Road (1964)
 
Mining Review 17th Year No. 7: London - End of the Road
March 1964
35mm, black and white, 4 mins
 
Production CompanyNational Coal Board Film Unit
SponsorNational Coal Board
ProducerJohn Reid
EditorRobert Vas
CommentatorJohn Slater

A look at some of the few remaining horse and coal carts in London.

Show full synopsis

For obvious reasons, Mining Review reports generally looked forward, at the improvements made by new technology or the prospects ahead of newly-refurbished pits. This somewhat wistful film is an exception: it follows two horse-drawn coal deliverymen on their rounds in London, knowing that they're the last of a rapidly dwindling breed.

In just over three minutes, we are shown a typical day in the lives of coalmen Darkie and Joe (their surnames are not given) and their horses Kitty and Storm. They begin early in the morning - as the commentary points out, "a horse needs a good deal more attention than a lorry" - and then do three rounds a day, lugging hundredweight sacks of coal through people's houses and into their back yards.

The treatment emphasises the nostalgic element, with a mournful solo harmonica accompanying evocative shots of the horses trotting through London streets in the early morning light. But the commentary cautions us not to be too sentimental: "Nostalgia's all very well, but it's damned hard work humping sacks of coal." The old ways may be more picturesque, but they're distinctly inefficient compared with modern delivery methods.

Michael Brooke

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Complete film (3:42)
Complete newsreel (10:11)
GALLERY / SCRIPTS / AUDIO
SEE ALSO
Mining Review 17/7: Czech-Mates (1964)
Mining Review 17/7: Helen (1964)
Mining Review 17/7: No Smoking (1964)
National Coal Board Film Unit (1952-84)
Mining Review (1947-83)
Mining Review: 17th Year (1963-64)