Pilgrim's Way (1956) | BFI National Archive

Tighten your laces and pack your mint cake as this one is a bit of a trek. The 120-miles between Winchester and Canterbury pass through some of the south-east England's prettiest towns, villages and pastures. Between 1956 and today plenty has changed, but despite the narrator's grumblings about urban encroachment much is timeless. Like a good hike, the film is not a race and takes its time to pause and wonder at its surroundings.

Halfway through the film there are some great scenes of a mass pilgrimage through the streets of Guildford to the site of the new Cathedral. The event, which took place on the 4th April 1955, marked the much delayed start of the construction of the nave, and was clearly a celebratory occasion for the town and its surroundings.

[SirArthurStreebGreebling]

13:35 is quite extraordinary. I went to school in Guildford in the early 80s and, and saw Star Wars at the Odeon in 1977 (from Dorking). The best thing they ever did was pedestrianizing the High Street! It hardly changed form 1956 to 1986! 11:56 is also extraordinary, the view from Box Hill, over looking Pixham, (and Dorking behind the hedges on the right), where I grew up in the 70s and 80s. Unmistakeable. 22:35 Shere!! My grandparents ashes are at the church.

And there it is 23:45 my home town. I didnt realise at the time how privileged I was to grow up there. 22:28 I was on a trip back to Dorking last November and the stepping stones were under water from so much rain! (I left in 1993).

For those of you that are moaning, it really hasn't changed THAT much, you only need to scratch a little bit under the surface and all this is still there.

[Dogtagnan]

I grew up in the 1960' s when much of this remained. Fewer cars meant a quieter, more aesthetic environment. How I miss those days.

[davebeech]

This is my idea of Heaven. Thank you so much for reminding me that the world wasn't always this awful, and we can return to Eden if we build the road home ourselves.

[VincentComet-le]

What a remarkable film!
And an amazing find.

[simontaylor]

I wish life was still like that portrayed on this film

[peterwimsey]

"far too many cars". Little did he know

[MattM-ceqe]

Winchester doesn't look any different today. That phone box at 1:53 is still there and still working. The Hospital of St Cross is identical and the Red and Black Brothers are still there to this day. Aside from the cars, it could have been filmed yesterday.

[lindacharles]

Thank you so much for these wonderful films of a more genteel age.

[nigelsouthworth]

Thanks for uploading this. There are many places I did not know. Having compared some of the buildings and churches now and then, it seems most look rather well now and better in some respects.

[andyledger]

The only problem with this is that the white chalk cross isn’t within sight of Canterbury, it’s visible from the A20 at Lenham - which is closer to Maidstone.

[michellegower]

Wow! I live in canterbury and it's so sad how it's changed. 😢

[LazyDaisyDay]

What an absolute treasure of a find! At once uplifting to see such glorious rural life and yet heart breaking to see all that we have lost. Yes, we've undoubtedly made 'progress' in so many ways, but we've lost a lot in the process. Thank you very much for posting.

[geoffcrisp]

England lost forever. It was much like its shown when I started driving in the mid 1960's, but sadly many of those places shown have changed forever destroyed by population growth and the motor car.
Just glad I remember some of those places shown as they were; a nicer time when England was populated by locals.

[perkinscrane]

Interesting that the Chain Home Radar station came in for criticism. It had after all just been instrumental in defending Britain from unwanted invasion.

[Doobeedoo-xdmw]

How I wish life was like that now. Living today seems to be nothing but surviving an onslaught of stripping away our green and pleasant land and its folk.

[FrankE.Cromer]

Somewhere in Guildford Cathedral is a brick which I purchased with my name on it. We were encouraged to buy bricks for the New Cathedral when I was at school

[jimmeltonbradley]

I really enjoyed this film. However, I did have to wear my rose-tinted glasses in order to absorb ist full impact. It's certainly an England I would love to have existed. But, as I was born and brought up in the 50s, when it was made, I remember the reality of post-war austerity Britain.

[studebaker]

Guildford High Street was the A3 Portsmouth road in 1956, several by-passes ago! Halcyon Days!!

[LosPeregrinos]

Apart from the traffic it surprised me how little has changed since 1956. Winchester is certainly recognisable as are Abinger Hammer and Guilford.
The Sun at Canterbury, where I live, is still there but the "Crooked House" school shop is now a charity bookshop. It's interesting that they stayed away from all the bomb damaged areas in St George's Street.

[mozdickson]

But soon glorious England, deifying mere man, veered off course and in the pursuit of an earthly utopia, lost her very soul. His Kingdom, regardless, shall have no end.