Chigley


Chigley is the third and final stop-motion children's television series in Gordon Murray's Trumptonshire trilogy. Production details are identical to Camberwick Green.
As in Camberwick Green and Trumpton, the action centres on a small community, the village of Chigley, near Camberwick Green in Trumptonshire. Chigley is more of an industrial area than Camberwick Green.
A digitally restored version of the series from the rediscovered original film masters emerged in 2012.

Overview

Winkstead Hall, a stately home, is central to life in Chigley. The aristocratic owner, Lord Belborough, and his butler Brackett, also operate a heritage railway. They are called on to transport or collect goods in every episode, much to Lord Belborough's delight, as he loves driving the engine, Bessie. Another character frequently delighted by these excursions is Winnie Farthing, whom Lord Belborough and Brackett nearly always invite to join them for a train ride. The notable song unique to Chigley, "Time flies by when I'm the driver of a train", was always sung during these sequences. Winkstead Hall and its grounds are regularly opened to the public, who have access to the picture gallery and tea gardens. Other parts of the Hall and its estate which also feature in the programmes include the library, the hall, the kitchen garden, the engine shed, and the pump room.
Chigley features many guest appearances by characters from the previous two series. This was at least partly for economic reasons, as it allowed the re-use of theme songs and puppets, thus saving money on recording and manufacture.
Lord Belborough invites everyone to the grounds of Winkstead Hall after the daily 6 o'clock whistle, when he plays his vintage Dutch organ, while the workers dance. This scene forms the conclusion of each episode.

Episodes

  1. "Lord Belborough's Secret" Dr Mopp
  2. "Bessie to the Rescue" Farmer Bell
  3. "The Balloon" The Mayor
  4. "The Fountain" PC McGarry
  5. "The Garden Wall" Mr Crockett
  6. "Binnie and Bessie" Roger Varley
  7. "Lord Belborough's Lucky Day" Thomas Tripp
  8. "The Broken Bridge" Mr Carraway
  9. "Clay for Mr Farthing" Mr Wantage and Fred
  10. "Trouble with the Crane" Mr Rumpling
  11. "Apples Galore" Mickey Murphy
  12. "Willie Munn" Mr Clamp
  13. "A Present for Lord Belborough" Mr Antonio
Episode titles were given in Radio Times but were not shown on-screen.

Characters

Winkstead Hall

The Winkstead Hall estate is a large stately home whose activities, including a heritage railway, dominate life in Chigley village.
Only a relatively small number of Chigley villagers are introduced in the series, as many storylines involve existing Trumpton or Camberwick Green characters visiting Chigley.
The factory is the village's chief source of employment. Cresswell's Chigley Biscuits is the company which owns and operates the facility, and operates a fleet of delivery lorries transporting the finished biscuits from the factory to the railway station at Wintlebury.
Chigley was frequently visited by tradesmen and other characters from neighbouring communities, allowing the re-use of Trumpton and Camberwick Green figures.
In 1984, 15 years after its broadcast on the BBC in 1969. Longman Video released one video with the first four episodes as part of its 'Children's Treasury' collection.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
Chigley 1984Lord Belborough's Secret, Bessie to the Rescue, The Balloon and the Fountain.

5 years later, in 1989, the BBC released a video with the three more episodes.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
Chigley 1- A Present for Lord Belborough 10 April 1989A Present for Lord Belborough, Apples Galore, Trouble with the Crane.

And in 1996-1997, Telstar Home Entertainment released two videos as part of its 'Star Kids' range.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
Let's Visit Chigley 1996Bessie to the Rescue, Lord Belborough's Secret, The Balloon and The Fountain
A Ride To Chigley 1997Trouble with the Crane, A Present for Lord Belborough, Apples Galore and The Broken Bridge.

In 2011, Chigley and the two earlier series Camberwick Green and Trumpton were digitally-restored from the rediscovered original film masters.

Credits