Sidewalk Surfing (1978)
Dogtown it ain’t, but these London Z-boys and girls are making the most of Skate City on the south bank of the Thames
In the shadow of Tower Bridge lay London’s Dogtown. Skate City was Britain’s first commercial skate park, built on the crest of skateboarding’s 1970s wave reaching the UK. Built for skaters by skaters it appears a mini-Mecca for those who chose to grind away the daily grind. This report for the This is Britain cinemagazine carried the story overseas, redubbed into Spanish. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Duration: 5 minutes
Suggested credit: Sidewalk Surfing (1978) © The British Film Institute