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. This video is part of the Orphan Works collection. When the rights-holder for a film cannot be found, that film is classified as an Orphan Work. Find out more about Orphan Works: