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The life of Bill

Marie Burchill
31/ 7/2008

THE family of war hero and academic Bill Brice have revealed that they are to make a documentary of his legacy.

The short film – which is being put together by Bill’s daughter Catherine – will show video footage of the former Manchester University lecturer talking about his beloved Didsbury home, Cherry Tree Cottage, and his hopes and wishes for its future.

It is also set to reveal behind-the-scenes footage filmed over recent months during which the family clear out the cottage – which Bill bought with his late wife Frances, back in 1954 – as they prepare to sell it on.

It comes as the family held a garage sale to find new homes for some of the items that the professional ‘hoarder’ had gathered over the years.

The Oxbridge graduate collected everything from clocks and bikes to umbrellas and stickers off pieces of fruit.

Bill – who served in the Second World War and made a number of ground-breaking discoveries as part of his academic studies, including unearthing the early Cretan alphabet – died last year, aged 86.

Over the last few months Bill’s family have been wading through the treasure trove of items collected and preserved by their father in his Wilmslow Road cottage – christened the ‘time capsule’ by his family – which he bought for £2,800.

It is these moments that Catherine has captured on film – including scenes from the recent garden sale of Bill’s belongings – that are set to feature as the main body of the documentary.

Catherine – who works in the film and media industry – said: "The point of the film is to show the ‘dismantling’ our family home and our lives that have been stored within its walls. Dad kept absolutely everything and going through the things in the house has been physically as well as emotionally draining.

"The last bit if film that we have of my dad shows him talking fondly about our house, Cherry Tree Cottage, and its garden.

"It’s a beautiful bit of footage and will be a prominent part of the finished film. In it dad talks about how he wants the house to remain as a family home and for it to be preserved.

"We have come across old school paintings that we did when we were little and I have done my best to categorise all of those.

"I have also found items belonging to my grandparents that my dad had kept, so there’s memories coming up all over the place."

As well as filming the move out of the house, Catherine is also hoping to feature documentary scenes of its new owners – after the cottage hit the market for £550,000.

Catherine said: "It would be really nice for us to film the new people when they move in. I’m hoping that this would form the final shots of the film, with the new people talking to me and showing me what they have done with the cottage.

"The film is very raw at the moment and alongside filming the extra footage will take quite a while to edit and put together."