British Universities Film & Video Council

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Nottinghamshire - J. Bacon & Sons

Series

Series Name
Mining Review 21st Year

Issue

Issue No.
3
Date Released
Nov 1967
Stories in this Issue:
  1. 1Staffordshire - Checkpoint
  2. 2Nottinghamshire - J. Bacon & Sons
  3. 3London - Goggle Box
  4. 4Leicestershire - Vision from the Dark

Story

Story No. within this Issue
2 / 4
Summary
NoS synopsis: A miner, J. Bacon, at Bentinck Colliery collects motor bikes. He has more than a hundred, some of them nearly fifty years old
NCB Commentary - Bentick Colliery is where John Bacon has worked for the past 44 years. Most days he rides to and from work on a motor-bike.
There’s nothing unusual about that - nor about the fact that he lives in Kirkby Hardwick farmhouse, five miles from the mine. But the biggest beast on this farm is Sheba the Great Dane, and there’s no hay or farm implements in the barns. Only motor-bikes. John Bacon has more than a hundred of them - French, German, Italian, American, Japanese and British, up to 47 years old.
For the last 30 years John and his brother Harry have been collecting motor-bikes, restoring them and running them.
John’s sons share the family enthusiasm. Harry junior, is a fitter at Bentinck and Alf an apprentice at Kirkby Colliery.
As likely as not their spare time work is watched over by the family kittens, perched comfortably on the saddle of a Brough Superior.
Pride of the collection is this prototype Triumph 1000 Grand Prix, the most powerful bike in the barns. Bikes which haven’t been licensed for the roads - it’d be too much to tax them all - are ridden by the Bacons around the track in their fields. A Norton Jap and the Brough get an airing, followed by the Triumph and a Velocette.
Many of the older bikes take a deal of looking after, like this 1925 BSA V-twin.
Reflected in the tank of a more modern BSA, John loves nothing better than keeping his collection in tip top shape.
And what a collection it is, lined up like a battalion on parade.
So anyone who wants a good home for an old bike knows nowhere to go - J. Bacon & Sons will be glad to find out just what’s beneath the rust.
Keywords
Entertainment and leisure; Motorcycling
Locations
England; Nottingham
Written sources
British Film Institute Databases
Films on Coal Catalogue   1969, p.54
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963
Credits:
Sponsor
National Coal Board
Production Co.
National Coal Board Film Unit

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