Chigley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chigley
Title card
Genre	Stop motion animation
Written by	Gordon Murray
Narrated by	Brian Cant
Theme music composer	Freddie Phillips
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Producer(s)	Gordon Murray
Running time	15 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC 1
Original release	6 October (1969-10-06) – 29 December 1969 (1969-12-29)
Chronology
Preceded by	Trumpton

Chigley is a fun stop-motion children's television series from 1969. It's the third and last show in Gordon Murray's famous Trumptonshire collection. This series is just like Camberwick Green and Trumpton in how it was made.

The story takes place in the small village of Chigley. This village is close to Camberwick Green in the fictional area of Trumptonshire. Chigley is known more for its factories and businesses than the other villages. In 2012, the show was digitally restored. This means it looks much clearer now, thanks to the original film being found!

Exploring Chigley

The main place in Chigley is Winkstead Hall. This is a grand old house owned by Lord Belborough. He and his butler, Mr. Brackett, also run a special old railway. They use the train, named Bessie, to move things around in every episode. Lord Belborough loves driving Bessie!

A friendly lady named Winnie Farthing often joins them on their train rides. During these trips, they always sing a special song. It's called "Time flies by when I'm the driver of a train." Winkstead Hall is often open for visitors. People can see the art gallery and enjoy tea in the gardens. Other parts of the Hall, like the library and kitchen garden, also appear in the show. There's even a shed for Bessie and a room for Binnie. Binnie is Lord Belborough's big stationary steam engine.

Characters from Camberwick Green and Trumpton often visit Chigley. This was a clever way to save money. The creators could reuse the puppets and songs they already had!

Each episode ends with a special event. When the 6 o'clock whistle blows, it means work is over at the biscuit factory. Lord Belborough then invites everyone to Winkstead Hall. He plays his old Dutch organ, and the factory workers dance. It's a happy way to finish the day!

Chigley Episodes

Here are the names of the 13 episodes of Chigley. The titles were listed in TV guides but didn't appear on screen during the show.

• "Lord Belborough's Secret" (6 October 1969)
• "Bessie to the Rescue" (13 October 1969)
• "The Balloon" (20 October 1969)
• "The Fountain" (27 October 1969)
• "The Garden Wall" (3 November 1969)
• "Binnie and Bessie" (10 November 1969)
• "Lord Belborough's Lucky Day" (17 November 1969)
• "The Broken Bridge" (24 November 1969)
• "Clay for Mr Farthing" (1 December 1969)
• "Trouble with the Crane" (8 December 1969)
• "Apples Galore" (15 December 1969)
• "Willie Munn" (22 December 1969)
• "A Present for Lord Belborough" (29 December 1969)

Meet the Characters

Chigley has many interesting characters. Some live in Chigley, and others visit from nearby towns.

Winkstead Hall Characters

These characters live or work at the grand Winkstead Hall.

• Lord Belborough - He owns Winkstead Hall and loves driving his steam train, Bessie. He appears in every episode.
• Mr. Brackett - Lord Belborough's butler. He also helps run the steam railway. He is in every episode.
• Mr. Bilton - Lord Belborough's gardener. He appears in 3 episodes.
• Mr. Roger Varley - He's a chimney sweep from Camberwick Green. He also helps fix the steam engines at Winkstead Hall.

Chigley Villagers

These are some of the people who live in Chigley.

• Mr. Swallow - He works at Treadle's Wharf, a busy place where roads, trains, and canals meet. He appears in 10 episodes.
• Mr. Harry Farthing - The village potter and a sculptor. He appears in 8 episodes.
• Winnie Farthing - Mr. Farthing's daughter. She often rides the train and appears in 10 episodes.
• Mr. S. Rumpling - A bargee who brings supplies to the village by canal boat. He appears in 6 episodes.
• Mr. Clutterbuck - The local builder.
• Horace and Cyril - Labourers who work for Mr. Clutterbuck.
• Dancing women - Two unnamed women who dance with the factory workers at the end of each day.

The Biscuit Factory Crew

The biscuit factory is a big workplace in Chigley.

• Mr. Cresswell - The owner and manager of the factory.
• Mr. Fletcher - The supervisor of the loading bay. He appears in the dancing scene of every episode.
• Willie Munn - He works on the biscuit cutting machine. He is a main character in one episode.
• The workers - Many unnamed factory workers are seen throughout the series. They work at the factory and join the evening dance.

Visiting Friends

Many characters from Trumpton and Camberwick Green visit Chigley. This was a clever way to reuse puppets and stories!

• The Fire Brigade - Captain Flack and his team (Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, and Grubb) appear in 2 episodes.
• The Mayor - The Mayor of Trumpton visits Chigley.
• Mr. 'Chippy' Minton - The carpenter from Trumpton.
• Mr. Clamp - The greengrocer from Trumpton.
• PC McGarry - The police constable from Camberwick Green.
• Captain Snort and the soldiers from Pippin Fort.
• Mr. 'Windy' Miller - The miller from Camberwick Green.
• Dr. Mopp - The doctor from Camberwick Green.
• Farmer Jonathan Bell - The farmer from Bell's Farm.
• Mr. Crockett - The owner of Crockett's Garage.

Credits

Here are the people who helped make Chigley:

• Script & Puppets: Gordon Murray
• Music: Freddie Phillips
• Narrator: Brian Cant
• Sets: Andrew & Margaret Brownfoot
• Animation: Bob Bura & John Hardwick
• Assistant Animators: Pasquale Ferrare, George Dubouch
• Recording & Sound Effects: Music Features MF
• A Gordon Murray Production MCMLXIX.