Check it Out! The Rootes Archive's Rally Footages

We're taking a brief break from the monthly British Pathé series to put the spotlight on another great archive to be found on Youtube: The Rootes Archive. Unlike the British Pathé series of newsreels, The Rootes Archive focus solely on newsreels and short films/documentaries about automobiles, notably car rallies. 

The Rootes Archive is a trust founded in 2002 in England that preserves original drawings, microfilms, and promotional material from the Rootes Group which included the Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam and Singer among the automobiles that they manufactured. They are a relatively recent addition to Youtube, having joined in October 2025, but they already have a strong following and a very nice selection of classic rally-themed videos to watch, a few of which we have shared below. Check it out! 

The Rootes Archive on Youtube. 

European Holiday by Sunbeam Rapier (20:33) - This is a very entertaining short travelogue about a couple who take a Sunbeam Rapier overseas on their short holiday in Europe. This was filmed during the week of Prince Ranier and Grace Kelly's royal wedding in Monaco and during the Mille Miglia in Italy, so there is some lovely footage of the cities decorated for both events. The Sunbeam Rapier is quite impressive, too! If they were sold today, I'd be heading to a dealer to get one. 

The Monte Carlo Rally of 1956 (27:01) - Another exciting short film, this time about the Monte Carlo Rally of 1956 where a number of Sunbeams took part in the race. The roads are grueling, especially in the snow, so again this proves what a great car the Sunbeam was. 

Destination Capetown (22:23) - Did I say Monte Carlo was grueling? Wait till you see this crazy man from 1952 and his trek in a Humber Super Snipe nearly 6,000 miles to Capetown, Africa. Today, we have 4x4, navigation equipment, cellphones and repair stations nearby, but this man trekked it alone - and he did it twice before! 

G-G-Ghost!! 1960s British Pathe Ghost Clips

This month's featured British Pathe clip is actually three newsreels in one and all suitably spooky for Halloween. Titled "G-G-Ghost!", British Pathe assembled these spirited shorts dating from the 1950s and 1960s into one entertaining video. The first is from 1953's "Ghost Hunters" and features the Sussex ghost hunters examining an old country house and why three caretakers were frightened away it. If this sparks your interest, check out BBC's 1975 documentary "Ghost Hunters" to learn more about these Sussex fellows. 

The second newsreel is "Dig that Ghost" and features the haunted Chequers Inn in Amersham. This 18th-century inn once housed three men who were burned at the stake the following day for being Protestant. Finally, the last is 1957's "Pathe Probes that Ghost" where the ghost of half a man named George appears to the owner of the Pilgrim's Cottage in Wilbarston. He was supposedly disturbed by the digging up of tombstones in a nearby graveyard and is looking for a new resting place. 

Ready to watch "G-G-Ghost!"? Simply click on this link.  

Other similarly themed British Pathe shorts: 

English Witch Cave (1962) - 0:47 sec 

The Ghost Town of Lucknow (1967) - 1:08 sec 

British Pathé: St. Valentine's Cards (1961)

Exchanging Valentine's cards is one of the sweetest things about Valentine's Day and this tradition dates back to 15th century. The first known Valentine's card was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orléans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. The holiday itself was celebrated long before that even. It is named after Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century. According to legend, he performed secret marriages for young lovers, defying the Roman Emperor Claudius II's decree that young men remain single. When his actions were discovered, he was executed on February 14th....the day we now celebrate love and the act of exchanging loving words. 

This 1961 newsreel from British Pathé shows how greatly Valentine's Day cards have evolved from the elaborately decorated cards of the Victorian-era to the simple messages of sentiment seen in the 1960s. King Gridley, an illustrator, is shown painting a light-hearted message of love on a card and then we get a view of Valentine's cards being mass-produced at a factory in Edmonton, England. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ready to watch St. Valentine's Cards? Simply click on the link below. 

St. Valentine's Cards (1961) - 2:21 sec

Similar British Pathé newsreels:

Valentines (1939) - 1:45 sec

Candy Cards (1956) - 1:14 sec

British Pathé: Map Making (1961)

In Great Britain, they have a national mapping agency known as The Ordnance Survey (OS) which provides highly-detailed geographic maps for individuals as well as for military purposes. In the early 1960s, the Ordnance Survey undertook to re-map Great Britain and it was a massive project. 

This 1961 British Pathe newsreel shows just how large a project it was and how many people were involved in the creation of these new maps... literally thousands of skilled artists and technicians! Mapping the land is difficult enough but it is even more impressive to watch the maps being made, from the super tiny ink work that needed to be done to the huge printing plates that had to be created. 

These road maps were then purchased by drivers and hikers who probably had no idea how many people were behind the making of the map that they held in their hands. 

Ready to watch Map Making? Simply click on the link below: 

Map Making (1961) - 3:36 sec

Similar British Pathé newsreels:

Map Making (1942) - 1:50 sec 

Plastic Maps (1947) - 1:23 sec

Map Survey (1965) - 2:20 sec

Ordnance Survey Mapmakers (1965) - 1:00 sec

British Pathé: The Highland Games (1969)

The hills are alive with the smell of heather and the sounds of bagpipes during the week of the Highland Games in Braemar, Scotland. This British Pathé newsreel shows footage of the event from the 1969 games. The annual Scottish sport ceremony was sponsored by the Royal Highland Society and gathered dignitaries from throughout Scotland - even the British monarch and her children attended this event since they lived in nearby Balmoral castle. 

This traditional test of "men who really are men" included cannon ball tossing, log throwing, tug-of-war games, hammer throwing, and highland jig dancing. Of course, the Queen handed out the prizes to the winners which made them all the more proud to be Scotsmen. 

Ready to watch The Highland Games? Simply click on the link below: 

The Highland Games (1969) - 1:44 minutes 

Similar British Pathé newsreels:

Highland Games (1957) - 2:47 minutes

Braemar Gathering - In Colour (1957) - 3:44 minutes

Braeman Games aka Braemar Gathering ( 1968 ) - 2:08 minutes

British Pathé: Royal Film Performance of 1962

This month's British Pathé newsreel features color footage from the 1962 Royal Film Performance which had Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and Lord Snowdon in attendance....not to mention 16 big-name stars who were presented to the queen prior to the showing. These included Yul Brynner, Cliff Richard, Melina Mercouri, Pat Boone, Horst Bucholz, Peter Sellers, Janet Munro, Peter Finch, and Leslie Caron. Also in attendance was Richard Beymer and director Robert Wise, which may give you a hint to what film was chosen for the Royal Performance, something the announcer failed to mention: West Side Story. I think Queen Elizabeth was in for a treat at the movies. 

Instead of linking to the video on Youtube, we are just going to embed it right here so you can easily watch it. 

Other similarly themed British Pathe shorts: 

Royal Film Performance (1956) - 1:31 sec 

Royal Film Performance ( 1959 ) - 2:05 sec

Royal Film Performance (1969) - 1:11 sec 

British Pathe - Budgerigar Garden (1956)

For this month's British Pathé post, we have a very short film clip of Mrs. Rosemary Upton and her budgerigar garden in Margaretting, Essex. Mrs. Upton bred budgerigars and was courageous enough to add a flap to her aviary to let the little fellows get some free-fly time. 

Seeing her walk around hunting for the stray budgies reminded me of our own dear little budgie "Gigi" who twice escaped from her cage and flew loose in our neighborhood. I sent my dad after her with a butterfly net and was so glad when he managed to catch her in the backyard of a neighbor several houses away from ours. From then on, I always double-checked to make sure the door was closed on her cage before taking her outside with me. 

Budgerigars are an Australian species of parakeet, cute as a button. They became extremely popular pet birds all over Europe, the UK, and in the States. Our local drugstore used to stock them for only $5 a piece, but now they tend to sell at pet stores for $40 each.... still a great price for a wonderful little bird. 

In this British Pathé clip, Mrs. Upton has a fine collection of varied colored budgeriars. I wasn't able to find any follow-up information about this woman and her aviary in Essex but I hope she kept it running for many years. Be sure to check out the links below to see other videos featuring these feathered beauties.

Ready to watch Budgerigar Garden (1956)? Simply click on this link. 

Similarly themed British Pathe shorts:

Budgies Beauty Parlor (1958) - 1:33 sec

Looking After Baby Budgies (1963) - 0:54 sec

Budgerigars (1967) - 2:44 sec

British Pathe: Matchstick Models (1941)

British Pathe released a number of entertaining short pieces on arts and crafts and some of the best featured talented model-makers. One of these was Harold Gough, a 16-year-old (in 1941) whose hobby was building mansions made of matchsticks. The rainy season in England must indeed be long! Never mind that Harold looks closer to 30 than 16, he is a very creative lad. In addition to building houses of matchsticks, he even constructed a double-decker bus.

Click here to watch: Matchstick Models (1941)

Young Terry Summers is another talented miniature carpenter, aged 16. He constructed the entire British Houses of Parliament buildings out of balsa wood. They measure one yard long and are built to scale. Impressive indeed! 

Click here to watch: Model Houses Of Parliament (1951)

The most entertaining of all is Model Villages, a 2:52 minute clip showing T.F. Dobbins, designer of a model village in Southport, Merseyside. Tiny visitors enjoyed this outdoor "Land of the Little People" for years before it was demolished to make way for a supermarket. 

Click here to watch: Model Villages (1962)

Other similarly themed British Pathe shorts:

House of Commons Model (1949) - 2:08 minutes

Bristol Model (1951) - :35 minutes

Model Houses (1954) - :52 minutes

Gannymeade Model Village (1967) - 1:03 minutes

British Pathé: Jemima's Journey Through Switzerland ( 1963 )

Jemima's Journey Through Switzerland is not one of the usual British Pathe newsreel clips that we share. This seven-and-a-half-minute film follows in the footsteps of a group of people who are re-enacting the trip taken by Ms. Jemima Morrell in 1863, a young woman who journeyed to Switzerland and wrote of her adventures in a diary. It was to mark the 100th anniversary of her trip. Obviously, the sight of a group of people dressed in period costumes going around Switzerland in 1963 caused quite a commotion because she drew crowds wherever she went. 

The narrator of this clip, Tim Brinton, talks with Jemima ( portrayed by Janet Edwards ) as though she were alive at the time. She relates her thoughts about the customs, people, and landscape of Switzerland as she saw it then. 

The film has some beautiful footage of the Alps and gives its audience a wonderful look at what it must have been like to travel throughout the Alpine region in the mid-1800s. My sister and I are restoring photos and paintings for our Alpine Collection project on Kickstarter and, judging from the photographs that we have seen, this is exactly how it was then. Women often went mountain climbing with the men in their wide skirts with just a little walking stick to guide them. 

At the end of the clip, the narrator asks Ms. Morrell whether she would like modern times and she replies that "I should be happy here. I should be happy in company with people like those," ( referring to the men and women playing the parts of her contemporaries ) to which he replies, "But clothes don't make those people Victorians, their values are different." How true! Times changed quite a bit between 1863 and 1963 and have changed even more from 1963 to 2023. 

Ready to watch Jemima's Journey Through Switzerland? Simply click on the link below: 

Jemima's Journey Through Switzerland ( 1963 ) - 7:34 minutes

Similar British Pathé newsreels: 

Victorian Beach Dance ( 1961 ) - 3:14 minutes

Victorian Fish Bar ( 1962 ) - 2:06 minutes

Victorian Hardware Shop ( 1963 ) - 1:38 minutes 

British Pathé: The Royal Tour in Technicolor ( 1966 )

In this 1966 British Pathé newsreel, we get a glimpse of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip taking a holiday ( ahem, royal tour ) in the West Indies colony known as British Guinea. Arriving in the royal yacht Brittania, the Queen did her customary walkabout, greeting the governor and other dignities before taking the grand tour of Georgetown and the surrounding sugar plantations. 

The Queen received a grand turnout of spectators, most of whom were told to boycott their visit but obviously did not. British Guinea declared its independence from Great Britain in 1965 and so this visit from the Queen was like a royal farewell salute before the nation celebrated its official independence day in May 1966.  

Ready to watch The Royal Tour? Simply click on the link below:

The Royal Tour ( 1966 ) - 3:57 minutes

Similar British Pathé newsreels:

The Queen in the West Indies ( 1966 ) - 4:20 minutes

The Royal Tour of the Caribbean ( 1962 ) - 29:32 minutes

British Pathé: Model Village ( 1955 )

It has been quite a while since we shared a British Pathé newsreel but today we have a gem: Model Village from 1955. This 4:33 minute newsreel has footage of a very impressive model village in The Hague, Netherlands...and what a great opening! You think you are looking at a real building until a head of a giant man suddenly appears from behind it! This is a model village of such proportions that the toddlers who walk the streets of the village appear as large as Godzilla did to Toyko citizens. 

The 1:25 scale village is called Madurodam and was served by a committee of 35 children including a mayor and a queen. The role of the queen was awarded to Princess Beatrix, daughter of the then-reigning Queen Juliana. 

Madurodam has a village section, a suburban area and also has a fully-functioning railway service, a seaport capable of receiving freighters and ocean-going vessels ( all in miniature size, of course ), and even an airport, where mini KLM planes operate from. 

The details that can be seen throughout this village are so impressive. If you missed seeing it in the 1950s ( as most of us probably have ) then you can still check it out today. Madurodam not only still exists but has grown and been updated throughout the years. Here is their website: https://www.madurodam.nl/en/the-park/all-attractions

Ready to watch Model Village? Simply click on the link below: 

Model Village ( 1955 ) - 4:33 sec

Other similarly themed British Pathe shorts:

Miniature Railway ( 1959 ) - 3:02 sec

Do It Yourself Railway ( 1966 ) - 2:48 sec

British Pathé : Stained Glass Windows ( 1956 )

The Christmas season is upon us and, for many, that means attending Christmas Eve and Sunday mass services at church. No matter which church you attend, you will probably see a stained glass window somewhere in the building. Have you ever thought about how these windows are made? 

Whether you did or not, it's a fascinating process, and this month's featured British Pathé newsreel gives a glimpse of just how this process works....it is quite tedious! An artist first makes a detailed drawing of exactly how the window will look. This drawing is then enlarged to full size and numbered so that craftsmen can cut and lay pieces of colored glass over the individual segments much like a mosaic. The glass pieces are held together while the artist adds shading to the backside of the glass and then the whole arrangement is secured with lead ( which replaced the use of iron ). 

As usual, we have a few suggested clips to watch if you enjoyed this one and we highly recommend checking them out. Cemented Stained Glass gives a preview of the new style of stained glass windows: cemented glass chunks instead of thin glass panels held by iron, while Stained Glass ( 1963 ) shows a more in-depth view of both of these methods. 

Ready to watch Stained Glass Windows? Simply click on the link below:

Stained Glass Windows ( 1956 ) - 2:24 minutes

Similar British Pathé newsreels:

Cemented Stained Glass ( 1956 ) - 2:28 minutes

Stained Glass ( 1963 ) - 2:55 minutes

British Pathé: Globe Making - How the World is Made

If you ever wondered how a world is made, then you have to check out this British Pathé news clip that gives you the scoop on just how one goes about creating a globe. A tabletop globe, that is. 

“While the rest of the mankind does its best to blow the world up, they like building a new one.”

The filmmakers from British Pathé share with us a fascinating look at the inside of a globe factory in 1955. The narrator tells us that these workers are from a North London firm of geographers, so most likely this is the factory of the old firm of George Philip and Son, Ltd. which was located in Willesden Junction in London, England. 

The globe makers start by applying thick brown strips of paper around a wooden ball to create the shell. And then they slather up to nine layers of wet plaster over the shell to smooth out the entire globe. This is prep work for the six-hour process of building the mountains and ridges that will give the globe a realistic texture. Once dry gores of paper are carefully cut out ( be careful! ) and pasted on the globe “The covering process calls for a keen eye and a steady hand,” the narrator says. “A fraction of an inch out will put the world miles out of joint.” 

These talented craftspeople make the work look so simple but one can only imagine what patience it must take to work in a factory like this. It isn't easy building a world. 

Ready to watch Globe Making? Simply click on the link below:

Globe Making - How the World is Made ( 1955 )  

Other similar British Pathé clips: 

Map Making ( 1952 ) - 3:00 minutes

Globe Making ( 1949 ) - 2:49 minutes

Globe Map for the Blind ( 1939 ) - 1:39 minutes

British Pathe: Wimbledon Finals ( 1964 )

Since the Wimbledon tennis finals are taking place this weekend, what better time to share this fascinating clip from the 1964 Wimbledon tournament? In this 5:09 minute British Pathé newsreel we see highlights from the men's, doubles, and women's competitions.

Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson ( both from Australia ) were competing for the coveted trophy in the men's finals while Maria Bueno ( of Brazil ) and Margaret Smith ( of Australia ) were competing for the women's title. Interestingly, both Stolle and Emerson were also in the doubles' finals. Most of the players throughout the tournament that year were from Australia.

This was during a period when tennis was played close to the net ( today's players favor distance shots ) and when it was perfectly respectful to throw your racket up in the air - either victoriously or in anger!

In the Royal Box, you can see Princess Margaret of Great Britain, Princess Marina of Greece - who also presented the cup to Emerson - and Princess Alexandra of Great Britain.

Ready to watch some tennis? Just click on the link below! 

1964 Wimbledon Finals 

Similar British Pathé newsreels: 

Wimbledon Finals ( 1954 ) - 2:56 minutes

Wimbledon Finals ( 1968 ) - 3:27 minutes

British Pathé: Ship Spotters Club ( 1958 )

This entry in our British Pathe series is about a group of boys from Margate who are all members of The Warpole Bay Ship Spotters Club. These nautical-minded youngsters have access to a keen telescope that they use to spot incoming ships...although oddly enough, none seem to be holding a ship's identification manual. 

The club was founded by Mr. Frederick Shelley, owner of the telescope, to help foster interest in seamanship. When the boys are older the club helps to "place them in suitable jobs in the Merchant Navy". Sounds like jolly good fun. 

The lads are also quite talented miniature makers and, with the help of Frederick Shelley ( founder of the club ), they build detailed little ship models. A simple sneeze would amount to a gale storm to these tiny vessels! 

I'm sure all of these lads became admirals-of-the-fleet when they got older....or turned into old sea salts telling yarns about their days spent at Warpole Bay. 

Ready to watch Ship Spotters Club? Simply click on the link below:

Ship Spotters Club ( 1958 ) - 2:19 minutes

Similiar British Pathé newsreels:

Model Ships ( 1954 ) - 1:02 minutes

29 Training Sailing Boats Start For the Canary Islands ( 1958 ) - 1:03 minutes

British Pathé: St. Valentine's Cards ( 1961 )

L'amore, l'amore....all the world is filled with love on Valentine's Day. Or, at least, it should be! If you have a difficult time expressing your love for that certain special someone in your life, then you'll probably use a Valentine's card to get your message across. For generations, the young and old alike have used cards to send messages of love. Even the beatniks sent Valentine's cards! 

This 2 minute British Pathé newsreel from 1961 gives us a glimpse of how these cards were designed and made. Some antique Valentines are also put on display and one is particularly clever - a note from the Bank of Love...signed by Cupid! 

Ready to watch St. Valentine's Cards? Simply click on the link below. 

St. Valentine's Cards ( 1961 ) - 2:27 minutes

Similiar British Pathé newsreels:

Greeting Cards Record ( 1955 ) - 2:31 minutes

Candy Cards ( 1956 ) - 1:15 minutes

British Pathé: Peter Cushing and His Toy Soldiers ( 1956 )

This 1956 British Pathé newsreel reveals that the inimitable English actor Peter Cushing was a toy soldier enthusiast. As if he wasn't marvelous enough already! 

As you will see in this 2-minute clip, Cushing had a little corner of his study in his Kensington house set aside for his hobby. He painted his tin soldiers to authentically match the colors of historic military uniforms. 

Cushing was a member of the Model Soldier Society and not only took pride in his painted creations but enjoyed playing with them as well. As the narrator states, he played with his soldiers in accordance with the rules laid down by H.G. Wells in his book "Little Wars". This was years before the outbreak of the wargamer's hobby and, without games like Axis and Allies and Conquest of the Empire, Mr. Cushing had to make do with playing soldiers without a 3-foot gameboard. In truth, he seems to have the advantage and was able to sprawl his soldiers over the entire floor of his study! 

Ready to watch Peter Cushing? Simply click on the link below: 

Peter Cushing ( 1956 ) - 2:12 minutes 

Similiar British Pathé newsreels:

Military Miniatures ( 1966 ) - 2:54 minutes

Hand Carved Soldiers ( 1956 ) - 2:11 minutes

Military Dioramas ( 1957 ) - 2:16 minutes

British Pathé: Bicycle of the Future aka Moulton Bicycle ( 1963 )

Leave it to the Brits to re-invent and improve upon something that seems perfectly suitable already. That's exactly what Dr. Alex Moulton did with the bicycle. Moulton was dissatisfied with the large wheels and diamond frame of traditional bicycles and decided to create his own. 

His new creation - the Moulton cycle - was known as a small wheel bicycle and, in addition to being lightweight and easily packed into a car, it featured a rubber suspension system so you had a smooth ride wherever you went. 

The Moulton cycle debuted at the Earls Court Cycle Show in 1962. It gained enough attention that Moulton Bicycles Ltd. opened a factory in Bradford-on-Avon ( in Wiltshire ) and began manufacturing them for public use. This 2:12 minute British Pathé newsreel shows how versatile the little cycle was and how fast it could travel - up to 50mph!

To learn more about the history of this great company and its cycles check out their website or watch this short film about the Moulton Bicycle Company. 

Ready to watch Bicycle of the Future? Simply click on the link below: 

Moulton Bicycle aka Bicycle of the Future ( 1963 ) - 2:21 minutes

Similiar British Pathé newsreels:

Hand Pedal Cyclist ( 1956 ) - 1:15 minutes

New Folding Bicycle ( 1965 ) - 1:14 minutes

Solex Bicycle ( 1968 ) - 2:33 minutes 

British Pathe: Model Racing Cars ( 1956 )

This 1956 British Pathe newsreel takes us to the workshop of Alban Adams and Christopher Crockett who are building 1/16th scale race cars modeled after authentic Formula 3 automobiles. 

Adams claimed to have been the inventor of slot cars ( check out this website for more details about that ) and his little racers featured motors that ran on diesel fuel and were capable of up to 60mph (!).

Unlike American slot cars, the metal rails do not have an electric current running through them and the "slot" is used primarily to guide the cars around the track. They are highly-detailed and it looks like Adams made everything himself ( the chassis, motor...even the tires! ). I think eventually when sales skyrocketed he must have hired lots of help. 

Ready to watch Model Racing Cars? Simply click on the link below:

Model Racing Cars ( 1956 ) - 2:07 minutes 

Similar British Pathé newsreels:

Miniature Grand Prix ( 1966 ) - 1:54 minutes

Cable Racing ( 1967 ) - 1:32 minutes

Grand Prix Miniatures ( 1968 ) - 1:32 minutes

British Pathe: Autumn Hat Fashions

This month's British Pathe newsreel takes us high up at the Carlton Tower Hotel in London, where a bevy of beauties are displaying the latest fashion in hats....on a very windy day! These designer creations are quite fetching to look at and have very appealing names, too: Coach and Horses, Leafy Glade, Laura, etc. There is something for everyone, even for trolls, who would especially like the South Sea Bubble hat. 

These mod designer creations were reasonably priced at 2-12 pounds each, which is equivalent today to $45-$150 USD. 

The Carlton Tower Hotel ( now known as Carlton Hotel Jumeirah ) is one of London's most popular hotels. It gained its fame for being the tallest hotel in London. It opened in 1961 so it was fairly new when the British Pathe newsreel crew came for a visit. To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, author Clive Aslet published "All That Life Can Afford", a pictorial history of the hotel's celebrated past and the star-studded international travelers who passed through their doors. 

Ready to watch Autumn Hat Fashions? Simply click on this link. 

Other similarly themed British Pathe shorts: 

Pringle Fashions ( 1968 ) - 3:32 sec

Pierre Cardin Fashions for 1966 - 3:44 sec 

Your Hat for Autumn ( 1961 ) - 0:53 sec