Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
1940's Bicycle safety film filmed in Harringay
It even features an irate motorist!
The cycle shop is apparently the original Claud Butler shop on Green Lanes, near Harringay Green Lanes station. I would love to hear where you think some of this other footage was shot, it looks like the countryside, but I guess this is what Haringey looked like in the 1940's.
Tags for Forum Posts: bicycle, claud butler, film, history
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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No kidding John. What I was particularly amused by in this film about a schoolboy was the extraordinary short section on "How to goose a schoolboy politley". I guess it was just a much less complicated world 70 years ago (but even then, surely they could have seen the funny side of this!).
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Great find. Thank you for surfacing it. I added a post about the Claud Butler shop back in 2008 but had never seen a picture of it, let alone a film. I've added a still of the shop front to my 2008 post. The short clip of footage on Green Lanes can be seen at around minute 5.
Dave Davey was the manager of the Harringay branch of Claud Butler at 71 Grand Parade in its later years. I'm not sure if that's him in the film, or even if he was at the shop in 1942. (Edit: See Tris's reply below - it was Dave (Percy) Davey.)
When the shop went into liquidation in 1956/7 Dave, whose real name was Percy, bought a cycle business from George Brooks that was situated further down Green Lanes at 7 Wordsworth Parade, near Turnpike Lane tube station. George was well known in the area as a lightweight cycle dealer having started the business in the early 1950s but he moved to Bristol to open another shop.From the clues in the film, I'm guessing the rest of the reel was made around Enfield and beyond.
PS: I've changed your title from "....Wood Green" to "....Harringay", because I don't think any of the film was shot in Wood Green, whereas some of it was certainly taken in Harringay. I hope you don't mind.
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Permalink Reply by Itsjono on
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No, of course, that's fine. And happy to help fill in a few pieces of the jigsaw, there's plenty more at the BFI site, such a great resource.
Those frame grabs are brilliant, nowadays the shot would be labelled 'WRONG' and 'RIGHT YOU'RE NICKED'
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Yes, but what is equally fascinating is that this is 1942, and even in the depths of war life goes on. Did you see how much the mother was loading onto her crumpets when he got his results- shortages, what shortages. Oh, and £10 for a bike...
Nice to see GL as it was.
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It may well be that the film was in part / wholly funded by the Government's propoaganda programme to support the notion that life was continuing as normal.
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Also, when Tony and his father are looking at the brochure you can see right through the window - lots of streetlights or similar. So much for the blackout!
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I was wondering about the boy's long trousers as normally shorts were worn until a boy left school ( at 14 )
But apparently boys over 5'6" were allowed to buy longs. He looks taller than that and older too.
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They wore shorts after age 11? Crikey, I'm glad thigs had changed by my day. We had to wear shorts until age 11, but then were thrilled to change to longs and leave childhood behind.
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I've been trying, but I can't remember when I graduated to long trousers. Probably when I went to secondary school at 12.
During the rationing period, long trousers were banned for young boys, as were turnups on men's trousers.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Short trousers + freezing winters = arthritic knees?
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