Old Harvest Times in Colebrooke: 1970s Cine Film

The fields and orchards around Colebrooke and Coleford in mid Devon have long been part of the working life of the parish. This remarkable piece of 1970s cine film brings three familiar rural activities back into view: the corn harvest, traditional cider making, and cutting wheat to provide reed for thatched roofs.

The three sequences have been brought together in one video, preserving a glimpse of the people, work and countryside of an earlier generation.

Watch the historic harvest film

The combined video shows, in order: corn harvesting, cider making, and harvesting wheat for thatching reed. Originally recorded on cine film using Ray Hockridge’s camera in the 1970s and subsequently transferred to digital video.

Watch the film directly on YouTube.

Corn harvesting in Colebrooke

The opening sequence takes us into the corn harvest, a vital part of the agricultural year. In Devon, corn was a familiar general term for cereal crops. Bringing in the harvest called for good weather, careful timing and plenty of work in the fields.

Methods changed considerably during the twentieth century as machinery developed, but the harvest remained one of the defining events of farm life. This footage is a valuable opportunity to see how the work was being carried out locally during the 1970s, rather than relying only on written descriptions and photographs.

Traditional Devon cider making

The second sequence records cider making, a long-established Devon tradition. Autumn apples from orchards could be crushed and pressed to extract their juice, which was then fermented to make cider.

For generations, cider production linked the orchard with the farmyard and the changing seasons. The equipment, physical work and practical knowledge involved were all part of rural life. As well as preserving the process itself, old cine film can remind us how closely farming, food and local customs were connected.

Harvesting wheat for thatching reed

The final sequence has a particular connection with Devon’s historic buildings: harvesting wheat for reed.

Here, reed does not necessarily mean the water reed grown in wetlands. In Devon, the name was also given to carefully prepared wheat straw used for thatching, often called combed wheat reed or Devon reed.

Producing good thatching material required wheat with suitable long stems and care during cutting, handling and processing so that the straw was not badly crushed or broken. Once prepared, the straw could be used by thatchers to maintain the traditional roofs of cottages and farmhouses.

This part of the film therefore links two important parts of Colebrooke’s heritage: the work in its fields and the appearance of its old thatched buildings. For more about traditional local building materials, see our article on cob buildings.

Dedicated to Ray Hockridge

These historic film sequences are dedicated to Ray Hockridge, whose cine camera recorded scenes of rural life during the 1970s that can now be shared with a new generation.

The recording is more than a nostalgic view of harvest time. It is a lasting record of the skills, effort and everyday activities that shaped life in and around Colebrooke. We are grateful that this footage has survived and could be transferred from cine film for people to enjoy today.