The English Countryside - Summer in Kites Country

[@dpstrial]

Wonderful memories of a bygone age. I am eternally thankful, Mr Knowles, that you captured it for posterity.

[@rathersquiffy3578]

Absolutely wonderful. A forgotten age, sadly gone from these modern times

[@Richard-r1x7d]

I still have my stove like that one. It was my dads for making tea in lay-bys when we were going somewhere in my dads 1938 Morris 8. In the 50s and 60s

[@MajorTomm-mt8vg]

We have, sadly, lost so much beauty in the world. The English countryside I grew up in has all but vanished. Lost forever under housing “estates” and industrial “parks”. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful footage.

[@naughtydorf18]

No different than the American countryside m8. Cruddy subdivisions are built upon former farmland and creeks drained dry due to usage of "well" water for yuppies.

[@DaraM73]

It what happens when one privatises everything.

[@Lockwoodbeck61]

The loss of England is a small price to pay for the happiness the "new british" and their religion of peace.

[@Robert-catesby]

You'll not get children playing in rivers today. The privatisation of water companies has caused river pollution to dangerous levels, that's capitalism for you profit before health

[@matthewwright9259]

Very sad indeed. Man has ruined the natural environment in the UK all in the name of profit.

[@LaysAndLore]

Wonderful - my grandfather (may he rest in peace) was a farmer and a true countryman, always said to me "you were born in the wrong time lad" he knew me so well.

[@Pureblood10000]

Fantastic,absolutely fantastic 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@kid--presentable]

This is the britain i miss ..

[@DaveKnowlesFilmmaker]

I originally was given this programme at Southern TV when I was an editor there in the late 1970's. Even though I was editing Jacks programmes I still loved this one . It was such a shame Ollie Kite died so young.

[@kid--presentable]

@@DaveKnowlesFilmmaker Oliver kite was a gentleman and a true nature man ... The absolute brain numbing crap they show to the masses nowadays compared to this beauty

[@anthonystratton9927]

A marvellous nostalgic video that brings tears to my eyes. to think the way we have gone.we will never see the likes of this again.the damage we have done to nature is incomprehension. the villages have been ruined by horrible housing developments cars etc. I can only say that I was glad that not been grown in this time. such a pity children will never see this world

[@chrisnewman2283]

I sadly watch this world I grew up in and know it’s gone forever

[@pauleades9037]

So true!😢

[@phubblewubbphubblewubb]

How lovely, thank you Dave. I was given a recipe for Elderflower Champagne by a then elderly Wiltshire dwelling lady in the early 1980's, it was it given to her as a young girl, it has never failed me and now is over 100 years old, I would like to share it here. 7 Elderflower heads, 1 gallon of water, 1 1/2 lb sugar, 2 lemons. Cut up the lemons, add the sugar and flowers, boil the water and pour over, stir until sugar dissolves. Cover with a cloth, strain and bottle after a day or two. Leave for 6 days and check for fizzing, if none leave for longer, it can take up to 2 weeks...refrigerate when ready and enjoy. Not an exact science but this can fizz very quickly so do keep checking, I've had it blow the bottom out of glass Grolsch bottles!!

[@micrashed]

A completely different pace of life. Thank you for uploading.

[@michaeltreadwell777]

BRILLIANT. Look how easily he caught that Trout ! 🙂

[@fishwithandy]

Thanks for putting this and all the other films on here , there Awesome , I remember that world

[@deerohdeer8000]

Ya true Britain at its best !! Like that’s it black & white film 🎥!!! Brilliant Dave !👍

[@markandeileen5950]

Great nostalgic video.. Interrupted by an advert with a 'lady' talking about her free Lovehoney 'toy'. The world has certainly changed but not for the better.

[@andyskelton7223]

Thanks for this little Gem Dave, what a masterpiece in simple country wisdom.

[@yorkshirelad3524]

Fantastic a great man who could teach the modern environmental gang a lot

[@timmarshall7903]

Times of my youth. Remember Oli Kite’s writings. And film. Lovely to see again!

[@NickRatnieks]

A world of enchantment- long gone. As a kid I would watch Oliver Kite and I can recall discussing his sudden demise with other boys at school. Jack Hargreaves had delivered the very sad news in his Out of Town programme. I seem to recall he died while fishing so he died as he lived which is appropriate but 40 odd years too soon. His car appears to have been a Ford Zodiac Abbott Estate ideal for someone with active countryside pursuits.

[@COASTER-o2h]

Zepher or Zodiac [his car ] , just been for a walk in that valley , up along the top, i fancied something relaxing to watch and saw this. There are still plenty of trout knocking about , you can catch them in Warminster with just bread , round the back of industrial estate. Not very romantic.....but they taste good ! [and of course no posh fishing license required] . Another good place to catch trout...are fish farms.

[@goddam9925]

life at its best !!

[@SirBeauJangles]

Well remembered name, Major Oliver Kite. You could buy a Kite built-cane rod kit at one time in the 60s, and Ollie wrote in Trout & Salmon, which was my monthly bible as a teenager would-be fly fisherman these many years. Id never seen this rather Hargreaves-like take on chalk stream management, and find myself hungry for more. After listening here I’ll have a hunt on YTube in the hope of finding other footage made by this gentleman. Fingers X’d!

[@jimmyh8090]

Thanks Dave for this show , iv seen clips of kites country before but not full shows . Hopefully you have more to upload as I thought most of the shows were lost . Thanks jim

[@jackmckinnon3208]

A time when the pace if life was so much more civilized, bloody hard work, no doubt, but easier to be content with your lot

[@southerneruk]

Brings back memories, I was at school summer camp at Stubbington in 68 when he died in June, I had met him with my brothers the year before up by Nursling Mill, great man he had time for people Thanks for Posting, Dave

[@oldgold1100]

How things were much better and simpler in those days. I love elderflower wine, just made 4 gallons.

[@SafetyProMalta]

Day's gone by, never to return. 😢

[@davidcullington6844]

A truly excellent film. I can remember this being done on the river Wensum In Norfolk, the weed would wrap itself around the piers of the bridge and was full of crayfish. This would have been in the early sixties. 👍👍

[@timwright5466]

As a retired countryside ranger this was lovley to see this more so hearing the cuckoo. Since 1959 it is the first summer I've never heard one .they are around in places like wicken fen but alas derbyshire no more

[@PeterMorrow-x3c]

Thank you for this , really enjoyed this and the accompanying music

[@ianroughley1933]

brilliant, absolutely brilliant 👍

[@peteh9720]

A beautiful film, thank you.

[@JimNicholls]

A wonderful video, Dave, thank you for that. But oh how it points to the great benefit we have now in this time of 4K video in glorious colour, so that we can appreciate in full detail the wonders of the countryside. I prefer the old days (as an 83-year-old former Sussex man), but wouldn't want to go back to the black and white days of film!

[@Badger13x]

'Sorry to pull you over sir, have you been drinking?' 😆

[@russelwellard2217]

Wonderful memories

[@tinkytinca]

Thank you for making me feel old (again)😭

[@glen.granger]

Excellent video. Thanks so much for uploading it. Would love to see more of his. Cheers.

[@geraldfunnell7932]

Thank you once again for posting this film 👏🏻

[@pauleades9037]

Thanks Dave, I haven"t see this one before!

[@keithadams1538]

That was lovely. Thank you Mr Knowles

[@gooderspitman8052]

Kites Imperial, superb dry fly.

[@ianryan5727]

Fantastic!

[@martinkavanagh196]

Brilliant mate.

[@longkeithdiablo8812]

Thanks for this one 🙂🇬🇧

[@peterww3241]

Priceless! Thank you, Mr Knowles :)

[@garybrownsword-xq1um]

just the job thank you

[@jointgib]

i miss water voles, they were great company when you were fishing

[@bodgerpete1]

That was a great video Dave - thanks for sharing it. Any idea what happened to the Country Boy tapes, as it was the series that first introduced me to Jack Hargreaves.

[@jamesbarr1620]

Genius of a man gone far too early heart attack in the end I believe

[@stephenreynolds4812]

Excellent as always.

[@Porkypies6m]

another fantastic video that made me feel young again....are there any episodes of a fishing program called Angling Today hosted by a guy called Terry Thomas who had his assistant Chris Tarrant of the Millionaire show...

[@Andy_Holbrook332]

What a fantastic video. How things have changed! The water vole replaced by the wretched mink. The variety of nature in a healthy chalk stream…..intensive farming methods have long since introduced a monoculture landscape. And the knowledge of what to pick as salad, wow! Great video!

[@crazycressy7986]

Brilliant

[@capturingnaturewithsandip]

Nice and so lovely video

[@pauldurkee4764]

I'm familiar with Oliver Kite, sadly I think a lot of the material he did has been lost. You can pick up his softened South Wales accent in his commentary. I wonder if Jack and Oliver ever met, and did they ever appear on the same programme.👍

[@southerneruk]

Yes they did, there is a film clip with both on Aston-smith boat ND, it was when Ollie got Jack interested in sea fishing

[@pauldurkee4764]

@@southerneruk Thank you for that, the conversations on the countryside between both men must have been quite something.

[@dogpaw775]

modern life is rubbish, i feel like a 'foreigner' in my own country.

[@kid--presentable]

Vote reform

[@zerog5041]

Thanks for posting this truly beautiful video Dave, brought back many memories of the sixties and my teenage life! Who was the young lad that Jack and I think Oliver introduced onto tv back then?

[@DaraM73]

I haven’t seen one butterfly this year. A shocking collapse in insect fauna.

[@sotony7483]

I've been on the Hampshire Avon this summer - the vegetation is luxuriant and the insect life more prolific than I've ever seen it before.

[@Badger13x]

Although progress is a good thing, it is such a shame that it has all literally gone to shit now in the race for more profit for doing as little as possible.

[@Knappa22]

This man has a Welsh accent, no?

[@pauleades9037]

If I recall correctly, Oliver Kite was a Monmouthshire man!

[@celardore]

What rights do you have to these films?

[@DaveKnowlesFilmmaker]

I in fact produced for Channel 4 all the 60 Old Country programmes with Jack Hargreaves.

[@celardore]

@@DaveKnowlesFilmmaker Cool, thanks, I didn't mean to be rude, I was just curious as to how you had these. I do love watching Jack. Cheers :)

[@DaveKnowlesFilmmaker]

@@celardore No problem. I do sometimes get asked.

[@zeltus]

Ollie died far too young. He worked at M.R.E. Porton Down whilst also continuing his TV work.