I’ve just come across a treasure trove on You Tube of old Rank Look At Life newsreels, each ten-minutes long and looking at different aspects of London life. There are some real treats to be found, but here are a few I enjoyed when I should have been working, or at least making a cup of tea.
Members only, 1965 – inside London’s private clubs
Coffee bar, 1959 – the new world of Soho’s coffee shops
Goodbye, Piccadilly, 1967 – a portrait of Piccadilly Circus
In Gear, 1967 – an iconoclastic look at Swinging London
Top People, 1960 – the crazy world of highrise living
Shopping By The Ton, 1960 – Covent Garden, Smithfield and Billingsgate markets
Report on a River, 1963 – a love letter to the Thames
The Great Wen 