Historic farming films to be digitised for wider access

The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) has received funding from the BFI to make a remarkable archive of agricultural films accessible to wider audiences.

The £80,000 grant from the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, will enable The MERL to digitise and catalogue a significant collection of historic agricultural films assembled by Nottinghamshire farmer Richard Watts.

For around 30 years from 1981, Watts embarked on an extraordinary labour of love to trace and preserve films of all gauges – amateur and professional – relating to the development of agriculture and allied industries in the UK. Inspired by the demise of 16mm film as video began to take over, he assembled a collection of well over 1,000 titles dating back to 1908.

The collection includes films from organisations such as the Milk Marketing Board, Massey Ferguson and Potato Marketing Board, as well as amateur films documenting everyday work across rural Britain. After Watts's death, The MERL rescued the collection but it has remained largely inaccessible.

Engaging wider audiences

The BFI funding, part of the project 'Inclusive approaches to accessing rural archive film', will enable The MERL to assess the collection and identify 80-100 films for digitisation and cataloguing. This will make the films accessible to researchers and allow for engagement activities with a wide range of audiences.

Caroline Gould, Principal Archivist at The MERL, said: "Richard Watts' collection is a treasure trove of agricultural and rural history. These films capture a way of life that has disappeared and offer invaluable insights into the development of British farming. 

“The funding from the BFI will allow us to preserve these films digitally, making them more accessible to researchers and the wider public.”

The project will particularly focus on engaging underrepresented and marginalised audiences who typically experience the greatest barriers to accessing heritage. Working in partnership with Reading-based film company Real Time, the project will develop further knowledge and understanding of barriers to accessing films and archive footage, as well as identifying technologies that improve their presentation for wider audiences.

Clive Robertson, Creative Director at Real Time, said: “This project presents a fantastic opportunity to involve the community in preserving and widening understanding of our shared heritage, and exploring the many social, ethnical and environmental changes that resonate with us today.”

Marta Berto, Screen Heritage Fund Manager at the BFI said: “Connecting with heritage fosters belonging, builds resilience and contributes to wellbeing. We’re excited to see how The MERL will use its diverse and surprising collection to explore how the skills and experiences of farmers and craftspeople, past and present, can help shape our lives now and into the future, reminding us of the ongoing relevance of the countryside to our lives.”

Engagement activities will include working with focus groups and volunteers, establishing a film skills collective for 10 participants, creating gallery versions of 10 films, producing five accessible films tailored for different audiences, and hosting six community screenings in rural locations.

About the BFI

We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. Our mission is:

• To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers

• To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive

• To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals - delivered online and in venue

• To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding of film and the moving image

• To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Jay Hunt OBE.