Rare footage of surfing in Newquay, shot over 80 years ago, shows four young men travelling by steam train from London to Cornwall to practice the sport they loved. In his own words, Harry Rochlin and his three friends - Lewis Rosenberg and brothers Fred and Ben Elvey - "would swim out in the sea and when a good wave comes along we used to lie flat and the wave used to push us right on to the beach”. Having seen a newsreel showing Australians standing up on their long boards, Lewis Rosenberg made his own 8ft board from balsa wood and recorded the group perfecting the art of stand-up surfing in Newquay, at Holywell Bay.

Click surfing in Newquay to see more about the film & how it was saved.This fragile, black and white, grainy film was donated to the Museum of British Surfing for preservation and digitalisation. The founder of the museum was totally blown away by the stunning footage and commended the friends for documenting their surfing experiences in such a beautiful way. He considers the film a “national treasure”.