This film was made by Leeds photographer and filmmaker C.R.H. (Charles) Pickard, member of the Professional Photographer’s Association and father of filmmaker and photographer Alan Pickard.  The film features Whitby in the summer of 1945 and includes fishermen repairing their nets and people enjoying their leisure time at the seaside.   The film opens with a shot of the town, towards the moors, taken from an elevated view.  The panning shot includes images of the Abbey, lighthouse, and...

This film was made by Leeds photographer and filmmaker C.R.H. (Charles) Pickard, member of the Professional Photographer’s Association and father of filmmaker and photographer Alan Pickard.  The film features Whitby in the summer of 1945 and includes fishermen repairing their nets and people enjoying their leisure time at the seaside.   The film opens with a shot of the town, towards the moors, taken from an elevated view.  The panning shot includes images of the Abbey, lighthouse, and harbour.  In the harbour, rowing boats are tied up, and passers-by can be seen.  A fisherman sits fixing his net as a young man watches, and other men unload fish from boats.  Boats are lined up side by side in the harbour.  A group of people sit on benches in front of Adams Amusements.  There is more footage of fishing nets stretched along the harbour side, and other men weigh the catch of the day as it’s transported away.  There are many onlookers, and gulls go after the offcuts of fish.  The fishermen have also caught crabs which are in boxes, and another man winds string around a shuttle for the netting.  This is followed by scenes of the coastline, a boat launch, and houses nestled in the hills.  The beach is crowded with people. The next section takes place on another day in Whitby.  It begins with a tour boat going into the harbour.  A group of teenagers descends the steps from the Abbey ruins, and many more people make their way up and down the steep steps.  Boats are lined up side by side in the harbour.  Elsewhere, lots of children are in a paddling pool, and adults are seated on benches along the promenade.  Fishermen unload their catch.  On the beach, lots of children and some adults work to pull in the lifeboat from the sea.  Large planks of wood are lined up on the sand creating a runway to help the boat back up the hill onto the street where there is a large group of spectators gathered.  The film ends with shots of rowboats out at sea.