A Downland Farm in the Fifties (2004)

From the makers of the award winning Farming on Film series comes this fascinating new archive video showing life on a Sussex Farm at the time of significant change. More than 30 men were employed at harvest, with a range of machinery including several tractors, binders, reapers, a threshing set and a flax puller seen at work. Stacks were made and thatched by hand, with the aid of a boom and grab to lift the hay from the carts. Crops featured include cereals, flax, hay and silage as well as root crops for winter feed. A unique look back at a time when the English countryside was a busier place.