Safety Strap Gardeners Aka Hanging Gardeners (1959)

Northfleet, Kent. M/S looking over a road towards the Council Gardens - a car and a milk float drive past. M/S of Harry Beer tying a length of sturdy rope to the railings of the gardens. On the other side of the railings is a busy road - buses, vans and a motorbike drive past. Low angle C/U of Harry securing the ropes. M/S of Harry walking away from the railings, taking the other end of the rope with him. M/S of Harry standing in a leafy area of the gardens tugging the rope to check it is fixed. C/U of the knot tied to the railings. M/S of Harry as he bends down and picks up a thick leather safety belt tied to the rope. Low angle shot of Harry putting on the belt - “reason for these precautions is that Northfleet is about 400 yards from the Thames estuary, but between the town and the river is a void where the ground has in the past been scooped away for its chalk content; it was to brighten the view across the disused pit that the Council decided to cultivate gardens“. C/U of Harry’s hands pick