Rural life in 1940s Hampshire and Suffolk | Nancy Bealing | AV5/4

Over 200 shots (circa 256) taken between 1946-1948. Nancy Bealing and her husband Frank were prolific filmmakers. When interviewed in 2010 this is the only reel in the collection that she claimed to have worked on herself. Simply labelled on the can 'Black and White film'. Nancy appears on screen on 3 occasions (00:05:16, 00:12:14, 00:20:21).
The original cinefilm (ref AV5/4) was affected with vinegar syndrome, preservation copies were made in 2012.
About the Bealings
The Bealing family ran a nursery in the Highfield area of Southampton. The nursery began supplying flowers to cruise liners in around 1900, including those operated by the Union and White Star Lines (from 1907). The nursery might typically supply a range of cut flowers, potted plants and displays to each liner. As chief supplier of flowers and plants to the White Star Liners at Southampton, the Bealing nursery of course supplied the Titanic's fateful maiden voyage in 1912. White Star was the nursery's principle client, right up to 1934 when the firm became Cunard.
When he was of age Frank Bealing began working with his father in the family nurseries and later married a Ms Helsby in 1918. The couple had a son, Raymond in 1920; who is featured in many of Frank's films.
After Francis George Senior's death in 1941, Frank took on the business, with his son Raymond taking a lead on the commerce aspects while the older Bealing focussed on horticulture. During the Second World War the nursery had to produce food for the war effort - primarily tomatoes and potatoes. The company were permitted to keep 10% of their produce -subsequently the greenhouse in which these were grown was always referred to as '10%'. As well as taking on women from the Land Army, during the war, two German prisoners of war were stationed at the nursery - who eventually married members of staff.
Frank met his second wife, Nancy, when she began work with the Land Army and was posted at the Bealing nursery. The couple married 1 June 1946.
Frank Bealing began filming in the 1930s as a progression from an interest in photography. Many photographs exist in the Southampton Heritage collection that show the interior of liners and the flowers delivered to them by Bealing's. Nancy Bealing states that she produced just one film of her own, after her husband bought her a cinecamera in the late 1940s - the film above.
Her 'just one film' is composed over 200 shots and was taken over a 2 year period.
Catalogue entry for AV5/4 (Bealing films can also be found under AV180)
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