From Postman Pat to The BFG - Cosgrove Hall's animated treasures go on display in Sale

A collection of props and set pieces from stop motion favourites such as Postman Pat and Wind in the Willows have been saved from the skip - and put on display to the public.

The new exhibition in Waterside, Sale, from the Cosgrove Hall Films Archive, also features original design drawings and concept artwork from familiar animations the Reluctant Dragon, Count Duckula and the BFG.

Scene on Screen shows how artists and designers would 'build worlds', creating characters and the places they inhabit from scratch using their imagination and pens and paper.

However, according to archive manager Rosy Whittemore, the collection was going to be thrown away - until the animation community stepped in to save it.

She said: "Several years ago a lot of the assets were being kept at ITV in a loading bay and they were going to be discarded and put in a skip.

"So I think a lot of the animated community pulled together and decided this was a part of local animation history and stepped in and saved it."

The CHFA (Cosgrove Hall Films Archive) was launched 2017 to protect, celebrate and share the work of the internationally acclaimed animation studio, Cosgrove Hall Films.

Artist and director Bridget Appleby, who is best known for The Reluctant Dragon and Engie Benjy, says she has many happy memories of working at Cosgrove Hall.

She said: "We used to call it the fun factory. We had students and would-be animators who just wanted to work with us.

"We trained them up beautifully there and Manchester became a centre for top quality animation."

Waterside are custodians of the archive, based in Sale, Trafford, working year-round to preserve the collection.

The collection includes some of the best-loved children’s characters Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Chorlton & the Wheelies and many more Cosgrove Hall creations.

In addition to archive and conservation work, Waterside has hosted a series of highly popular exhibitions featuring puppets, props and cels from the collection.

The exhibition runs from 24 September to 6 January in the Lauriston Gallery at Waterside Arts Centre, in Sale, and is free entry.

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