Twenty-four hours in the story of the British Railways Channel ferryboats, the 'link spans' directly joining the roads and railways of Britain with those of France and all the Continent. The Lord Warden laden with an assortment of road vehicles from Dover, and the Night Ferry from Newhaven carrying passengers bound for Paris, Vienna or Rome are two of the ferries illustrated in this film; and freight is not forgotten.
Direction
Clarke finds poetry in hydraulic ramps.
Director
Michael Clarke
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is peak British Transport Films propaganda—making state infrastructure feel like destiny. The 'Night Ferry' sleeper service to Paris ran until 1980.
The Dover link span shown was revolutionary—hydraulically adjustable to any tide, a mechanical marvel disguised as boring infrastructure.
GB
