[Members One of Another 2]

The development of the new town, Harlow

The film shows the land that is now Harlow New town as it was before building began. There are country lanes with few cars. We see Parndon Mill and river scenes. There are harvest scenes with tractor drawn reapers and binders and oats stacked and carted by horse. Cows and horses are in the field. There is a static shot of the Master Plan and then Frederick Gibberd, the chief planning officer, shows the plans to members of the Joint Parishes' Committee. The committee is standing in the open, locating the plan with geographical features. There is a shot of the Development Corporations' Offices in Grosvenor Square, London and then of the local office, a country house at Gilston, near Harlow. Portakabins that provided additional office space follow. Various visiting delegations are featured. These include delegations from Poland and Austria. All plant trees or shrubs. The film finishes with a Service of Dedication on land that is now the Chippingfield area of Harlow New Town. The congregationalists parade though Harlow Village before entering The Church of St. John the Baptist and All Saints.

Featured Buildings

Parndon Mill; Terlings, The Headquarters of the Harlow Development Corporation, Gilston; The Headquarters of the Harlow Development Corporation, Grosvenor Square, London; The Church of St. John the Baptist and All Saints, Harlow Village

Intertitles

A film record of Harlow New Town - continued.The area of the New Town being almost entirely rural, the few roads were mere lanes.And there was the river.Farming occupied virtually the whole area.The first step towards the construction of a New Town was the preparation of the Master Plan.This was done in 1947 by Mr. Frederick Gibberd.The Master Plan was approved by the Minister in 1949.Mr. Gibberd explains his plan to the Joint Parishes' Committee.The corporation has offices in Grosvenor Square W.1 until the spring of 1948.New Headquarters at Terlings, Gilston, Harlow were occupied on April 19th 1948.Additional office accommodation was added later.Various delegations visited the corporation and planted trees.June 1948 - A Polish delegation.November 1948 - An Austrian Delegation.Came also: The Epping RDC The Essex CC The LCC.On October 3rd 1948 a special service of dedication of the New Town was held on ground which is now part of Chippingfield.By the end of 1948 the preliminaries were over and construction was about to begin.

Other Places

Harlow Village; Gilston; London