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Title: SERMON IN STONE, a

Reference number: 0473

Date: 1966

Sound: sound

Original format: 16mm

Colour: bwcol

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 34.13 mins

Description: The story of the work on restoring Iona Abbey and the origins of the Iona Community in Glasgow in the 1930's.

See also films, ref. 2345, 2347, 2348 and 2349 for further footage of the restoration of Iona and interview with Dr George MacLeod.

Credits: narr. Lord Macleod of Fuinary.
We are grateful to BBC and STV and Robert Neumann of New York for certain sequences and for bringing the film to completion John Gibson and Noel Chanan of London.

Shotlist: Credits (.23); [B/W] Shots of streets in Glasgow in the early 1930's (.48); Entrance to Fairfield's yard, Govan, workforce leaving, gantry yard. Streets and back closes (1.20); Mass meeting of trade unionists, brief shot of march (1.34); Cemetery in parish of Govan, c/u details of gravestones (2.25); ls Betting shop with drunken young man swaying in the doorway; children in back courts, boy chalking on wall, girls juggle balls on wall (3.16); gvs Ruined building in country, converted to camp site for city dwellers by volunteers; waterwheel (3.57); Seagull (4.01); [Col.] Sea spray (4.15); Shots of Iona Abbey from boat, shot of boat in 1938, unloading material for the first huts for the workers involved in the restoration of the Abbey. Huts erected, shots of workers (5.29); The Abbey. Boats are unloaded, timber for restoration work in 1939. Workers and restoration in 1940 (7.11); Salvaging jettisoned cargo from Mull in 1946. Unloading donation of Norwegian timber in 1950. Restoration work, refectory and ramp up to roof. Calum MacPherson, master carpenter (9.01); Volunteers for different churches march along old pilgrimage route across Mull, lay corner stone in Abbey to commemorate occasion. Father Rodzianko of Serbia visits Abbey (10.03); Rebuilding cloisters, laying paving stones, workers in cloister [mason wearing mask against dust] (11.01); young people leaving Abbey; youth music leader and new wife stand for photographs outside the Abbey after wedding, beside stone Celtic cross (11.33); Guests and youth campers visit sacred places on island. views of picnic, and young people following path down to quarry. ls Oldest rock on Iona (12.49); pan over group seated on shingle beach of the bay where Columba landed (13.00); Fishing station on Mull. Revenue from salmon fishing used to pay for Iona's borstal camp, shot of boys running over island, diving into sea (13.38); Charles Raven lectures visitors. Prayers in Abbey (14.20); Site of Columba's wattle cell discovered 1957. Long shot of Abbey, close-up. Dr. Waugh, Dean of Thistle, shows Queen chapter house during visit. Royal party. Iain Lindsay, architect of restoration visits tomb of kings. Presentation to Queen by Lord Macleod's children (16.48); Bell tower. Procession into church. Opening of cloister 1959. Brief shots of ceremony, held in cloister. (18.05) Shots of statue by Jacob Lipchitz; shots of lambs and the sea (18.39) exts. Opening the West Range in 1966 and communion service [brief shot woman in puritan dress]; view congregation taking wine; elevated shot of the gathering; gvs people of different nations sharing bread at the end of the service (21.08); Archive footage of Govan; international refugees and poor are shown in ill health, struggling to catch food thrown at them [Cambodian?] (22.13); montage of H-bomb testing in Pacific (22.49); gvs of factory work; c/u mechanical indicator showing "Off" and "On"; c/u hand holding cigarette, picking up cup of tea [electronic music, v/o describes dehumanisation of man]; woman walks by advertising hoardings; woman walks out of Polling station carrying her broom; ms Denis Healey as Labour candidate in Leeds election (24.05); Church conference centres at Carberry Tower and Dunblane (24.15); Exteriors of Iona Community house in Glasgow. (24.32) Ints. of meals being served. (24.53) Douglas Alexander talks to shop stewards on the Church's place in industry. (25.16) c/u poster War on Want door opens to committee meeting; c/u young people seated around table. (25.32) Gamblers Anonymous group; smiling man holds up bank notes to show room, c/u notes (25.54) c/u steepled hands, zoom out to show chapel, open to the refectory; Douglas Alexander leaves chapel with two children [probably his own] (26.31); elevated shot of housing scheme; ints old people and youth club dance [v/o mentions competition from other churches] (27.08); Churchmen visiting scheme; ls men walk along balconies on four levels (28.11); gvs celebration 14th centenary of Columba's arrival on Iona in 1963. Service outside the Abbey, including Bishop Lesslie Newbigin, Father Vladimir Rodzianko and James Stewart, Moderator of the Church of Scotland (29.47) ints. congregation receiving sacrament [American setting of Nicene creed, with guitars] (30.55); Shot of Abbey after restoration complete. (33.02) Shots of statue "Descent of the Spirit" and St. Martin's Cross (33.59) ecs (34.13)