The film about the history of education in Bishop Monkton, made earlier this year, is now available to view online.

The film, called ‘Best Years of Our Lives’, was made as part of a joint project involving the village Primary School and the Bishop Monkton Local History Group. It was seen by almost 150 people at a number of screenings in May and June but has now been uploaded online to make it available free of charge for anyone to view.

Presented by two children from the School, the film, which runs for just over 35 minutes, covers the history of the school since its foundation in 1849 as well as new evidence of other small private schools which existed in the village before that date. It also covers the history of the Mechanics’ Institution opened originally in 1859 as a centre for adult education.

The film’s producer, Colin Philpott, said:- “We are delighted that so many people came to the screenings but it’s important that the film should be available for anyone to see forever. We believe the film is not only of interest to people with a direct connection to the School but also to anyone with a link to Bishop Monkton and indeed anyone anywhere with an interest in education.”

To view the film on the ‘Bishop Monkton Yesterday’ website, please click here.

The film has also been offered to the Yorkshire Film Archive which has previously taken earlier films made by the Local History Group.

A book has been published as part of the project. More than 100 copies have already been sold, but it is still available to buy for £10 with proceeds going to the Friends of Bishop Monkton School. Copies are available from the School Office or from the Local History Group, tel Colin Philpott 07791 341074.