Balloon Race (1968)

Heveningham Hall, Halesworth, Suffolk. An old fashioned gas balloon is filled with hydrogen. Crowds stand around and watch as the balloon is prepared. Large sand bags are suspended from the balloon. A modern hot air balloon is contrasted - much quicker to launch. Balloonists check their maps. Today’s event is to commemorate the Britain’s first ever balloon race which left from Heveningham Hall in 1784. This event is the Duckham’s International Balloon Race. Three members of the British Balloon and Airship Club are pitting their rotund models against a Frenchman. Over shots of the balloons taking off the narrator gives us a little of the history of ballooning. Shots of spectators both on the ground and from the balloon itself. Shot of the round old fashioned balloon rising in the sky. Cuts exist - see other record. FILM ID: A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT’S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES.