A dedicated group of volunteers has been fighting to turn the tide on the future of one iconic harbour inhabitant – the MV Balmoral – with local filmmaker Harry Knight capturing moments from the boat’s transformation in a new film that’s now docking at the same destinations as the historic passenger vessel did in its heyday. Words by Rosanna Spence.
Featured image: Director Harry Knight on board the MV Balmoral (Credit: Tom Griffiths)
Keeping historic ships afloat in UK ports and harbours is a monumental mission. Millions of pounds need to be ploughed into every nut, bolt, panel and propeller – not to mention the unfathomable hours of dedicated craft and knowledge from helping hands. One such vessel is the MV Balmoral, which was built and launched more than 75 years ago (1949) in Southampton, but now calls Bristol harbour home.
The ship caught the eye of local filmmaker Harry Knight of Falling Films, who used to commute to his studio space at Spike Island, passing the passenger vessel every day. In what he calls “serendipitous timing”, his next visual project, which was a “feast for the eyes to film”, would “fall into his lap” as he discovered the group of passionate volunteers fight to save the Balmoral’s legacy – and though they were able to repair and protect the ship in Bristol’s dry dock last year thanks to recent support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, their work to get her sailing regularly remains an upstream battle thanks to time, bureaucracy and ongoing financial struggles.
Knight’s new 40-minute film Balmoral (which he directed and was produced by fellow Falling Films founder Maria Webb) is a gentle voyage to the depths of the vessel’s underside – filmed in atmospheric black and white – as he gets up close and personal with not only the ship’s structure, but the stories from those fighting to preserve a piece of maritime history before it’s too late.
“It’s an interesting time to release Balmoral because there are ships like this all over the UK, and like Rob [one of the volunteers helping to restore the ship] says towards the end of the film, many of them have been scrapped or turned into ‘razorblades’.
“When you look at one ship and you realise the amount of time and money that’s needed to save it, it gives you perspective. What do we do with these ships? I found myself asking that question throughout filming, wondering is all this work worth it? Even though that feels horrible. So, I was trying to look for the reasons behind the efforts. If it’s so much work, what is it bringing to people, what’s the meaning behind it that’s worth saving? That’s what I wanted to explore and what I talk to people about. I now personally do think the work is worth it.”
Balmoral volunteers on board outside M Shed (Credit: Harry Knight)
First port of call
Balmoral explores the meaning behind the dedicated volunteers’ work, and Knight settles on the idea that it’s about “values”. This quiet search for value throughout the film could be found in the heritage skills delivered by the workers, how valuable their time is, the real cost of restoring a ship to its former glory, the value of communities uniting in a common cause… the list could go on. This measured approach is reflected in a literal sense thanks to Balmoral’s unhurried pace. It’s not lazy or sluggish, though – but an accurate representation, according to Knight, of the approach taken by a mostly retired workforce who graciously let him in on their process.
“I wanted to try holding shots for longer than necessary,” he notes. “I like that kind of filmmaking. It came naturally here as there are a lot of older people working on the boat, and they just aren’t really in a massive rush. It’s quite a nice environment, especially compared to the world of someone in their 30s or 40s and working in highly-productive environments where everything’s measured. There’s a slower scene with one of the volunteers Bill tackling a bolt removal, and I thought it was a really interesting way to look at working with the smallest possible part of a huge ship.”
Knight recalls how he had originally planned to film Balmoral in 24 hours for a one-day documentary, “and I very, very quickly realised that wasn’t going to happen. I couldn’t tell that story in that time, which is a nice parallel to the timing and pacing of the final feature; that one day very quickly turned into six months of filming.”
The volunteer’s intimate life stories, as reminisced to Knight, are especially poignant, and, thanks to the monochromatic aesthetic, feel worlds away from the fast-paced, high-speed development that’s taken place around the harbour during MV Balmoral’s lifetime.
“I’d never shot in black and white before Balmoral,” Knight says, mentioning films like Mark Jenkin’s 2019 Cornish drama Bait as sources of inspiration. “So I couldn’t rely on the colours for contrast, it was all about brightness and contrast. That’s why I wanted to have extreme interview angles, partly because of the intimacy of the conversations taking place – I wanted it to feel like people talking to each other rather than a documentarian filming them – so I was shooting on the dark side of the face and leaning into the dark. It was really fun.”
Images left to right: The ship as shown in Balmoral; Harry Knight on board the Waverley, a ship that shares a historic partnership with Balmoral (Credit: Maria Webb)
A coastal tour
Balmoral premiered in Southampton, its birthplace, and is embarking on a tour around the coastlines where the passenger vessel would have visited when she was still sailing.
“The best experiences I’ve had screening films is when you take it to somewhere where people are going to connect to it. There are Q&As after the films, meaning that although the towns themselves have a connection to the boat, the location may have piers that are being restored or have been forgotten, or have a historic harbour – things to bring to the panel discussion beyond the Balmoral ship herself.”
The same approach applies to Bristol’s special one-off screening at Watershed on Saturday 7 June (3pm), when the film will be followed by a Q&A and panel conversation with the filmmakers, members of the Balmoral and other local groups. Knight hopes that the city’s contextual maritime history will organically weave its way into discussions – and he can open up ideas that he could not fit into Balmoral’s 40-minute narrative. The screening also takes place during National Volunteer Week (3-9 June), which Knight calls a “happy accident” as the film’s focus is on the Balmoral’s volunteers (“I really want to celebrate that, and I also love volunteering”), plus Balmoral was made voluntarily. He hopes the film will encourage people to find a cause they can volunteer for.
Despite all the fantastic work documented in Balmoral, the ship isn’t ready to return to touring just yet.
Knight explains the volunteers are at a crucial stage of work, where they now need to do another “million pounds’ worth of work” to get her back to actually sailing. So for now, there are more funding bids being compiled and events being organised to raise money for ongoing work.
Images left to right: A volunteer welding in Balmoral; Dedicated workers in Balmoral
Floating ideas
The Balmoral has become a vital space for the city, not only representing and campaigning for heritage skills and interests, but also for its work with organisations like educational charity My Future My Choice. These activities see the ship transform into a floating classroom, delivering workshops such as the Windrush Pioneers Project and Build a Ship-on-a-Ship.
Knight says: “They engage with groups of diverse young people, and people who aren’t connected to the city centre – they might live in the suburbs or be in schools further out of the city – and bring them on board for first-hand learning experiences in the workplace, rather than learning in a school environment. It’s more inspiring for a young person to learn about tides, for example, by being on the harbour.”
Balmoral concludes with a poignant, rallying cry to this younger generation, with one scene showing a volunteer urging them to “pick up the mantle” and carry on the work to save historic ships, learn heritage skills and keep vessels like MV Balmoral in the zeitgeist. But when Bristol’s maritime career landscape looks unrecognisable compared to 75 years ago, will young people understand the value in saving these vital pieces of history? In making Balmoral, encouraging discussion and advocating for the ship’s return to glory, Knight is hoping so.
Balmoral will be screened at Watershed on 7 June, 3pm, followed by a panel Q&A.
For tickets, visit watershed.co.uk.
To see more of Harry Knight’s work, visit fallingfilms.com. Information about the MV Balmoral can be found at thebalmoral.org.uk
