This film begins with a map of Great Britain. It closes in on the Fenland area and shows the four main rivers of the Fens; the Witham, the Welland, the Nene, (spelt Nen on the film) and the Great Ouse. The commentary explains what sort of area the Fenlands are and something of its history.
On the Wash, Aargie Smart goes punting. He shoots his prey with a punt gun and then picks them up. The next sequence looks at the drainage problem in the Fenland. It shows men ditching and then there is a diagram of the drainage system. There is a shot of a sluice gate and the film recounts a little of the history of the draining of the Fens, mentioning Vermuyden’s work in the 17th-century.
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“Draining the Fens 1947” – A great piece of history captured on film. Thank you.