Village Observatory (1961)

Various shots of the village of Thaxted in Essex; the high street; the Recorder’s House and the 15th Century Guildhall show the village’s timbered architecture. We see weaver Arthur Caton at work on a loom as we hear he produces ties by the traditional method; M/S of a rack of woven ties on a windowsill. Kate Butters, who works with Arthur, is seen carding some wool then spinning it on a wheel. Various shots of The Reverend Putterill, Vicar of Thaxted’s church, who is also a keen astronomer; he is seen fixing a camera to the telescope in his observatory, a little shed-like room in the vicarage gardens. The vicar operated the time exposure on the camera as we hear he has developed a remarkable technique for photographing the wonders of outer space. C/Us of his black and white photos in an album of the moon and the Andromeda Galaxy - truly amazing! L/S and M/S of the disused windmill at Thaxted. On a country lane we see the vicar looking through his telescope at the church in the background. C/Us