This film is part of Free

Title of error

See Help

Birds of the Village

Know your tree creepers from your chiff-chaffs? You will after watching this delightful portrait of village life in post-war Britain.

Documentary 1946 18 mins Silent

Overview

Filmed in villages in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Northamptonshire in the immediate post-war period, this delightful depiction of village life would have helped calm the Blitz-frayed nerves of city dwellers. The bird footage was captured by Eric Hosking, a pioneering wildlife photographer and the first in his field to make a living from bird photography.

Hosking was a key wildlife educator, known to give over 100 lectures a year, and his photographs graced many a wildlife book. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.

Featuring

James Fisher

Genres

Documentary

Country

United Kingdom

Location

OxfordshireAshtonNorfolkWoodbridge

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Subjects

Villages Natural history Domestic cleaning Shops Birds Blue tits Cuckoos Swallows Rooks Warblers

Watch for free

New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.

Watch for free

Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A

Inside Film 2025 30 mins

The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.