A POST-WAR home-movie set in Barry is among 600 Coast and Sea archive movies released online by the British Film Institute (BFI).

Many of the films have remained unseen since they were first shown, and form part of the BFI’s Britain on Film project.

Snaps from Barry Island (1946) was shot by Chris Jenkins, proprietor of Vanda's hair salon in Cardiff’s Charles Street, later Dumfries Place, and a stalwart member of Cardiff Amateur Cine Society.

He was also a keen amateur artist and astronomer. Both he and his wife Beatrice feature as, it is believed, do their daughters Vanda and Barbara.

The footage shows how the sun has drawn crowds to Whitmore Beach. Pony rides and a tidal paddling pool are available for the young children, and a picnic, with china tea cups and bottles of beer, has been brought along. Even the middle-aged ladies of the party hoist up their dresses and get their feet wet.

A 1966 film called Lifeguards – Barry Island also features in the collection.

Both films are now available free on BFI Player via an interactive map.

Head curator for the BFI National Film Archive, Robin Baker said:

“Britain on Film has been a transformative project for the BFI and our partner archives. It has demonstrated that millions of people across the UK want to engage with their film heritage?. Comprising over a century of filmmaking, Britain on Film has highlighted some of the lesser known films from our collections, some of which not even curators had seen before, and provided them with audiences that are often bigger than on their first release.”

Iola Baines of Wales’ National Screen and Sound Archive, added:

“We often long for the days long gone, especially those spent at the seaside. Through Britain on Film we are offered a nostalgic glimpse of what life was like, maybe even the chance to see familiar faces and places. I’m really excited about the release of 50 Coast and Sea titles from Wales - family holidays on the beaches of Wales in the roaring 20s, post war travelogues, footage of fishermen plying their trade, locals exploring shipwrecks. There really is something to delight everyone.”