Stop-Motion Archive and Museum

With the help of ITV, Westley Wood, ex-development producer for Cosgrove Hall, rescued the archive with the sole intention of preserving its history and artifacts. Westley says ‘The work from Cosgrove Hall Films is part of Manchester’s cultural heritage and was important to the development of the animation industry in the UK. It’s with enormous gratitude and pleasure that we are working with the Sale Waterside team, to set up a new home and preserve the archive for people to love and enjoy for generations to come.’

This archival project has been supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council and the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund in partnership with Creative Industries Trafford. 

The internationally acclaimed animation collection, contains some of the best-loved children’s characters of the twentieth century, including Danger Mouse, Postman Pat, Wind in the Willows, The BFG, Chorlton & the Wheelies and many more Cosgrove Hall adaptations. Waterside are custodians of the CHF archive, based in Sale, Trafford since 2017 our role has been to house and preserve the collection. Waterside hosts a number of animation related networking events and talks. Visit Waterside’s website for future animation events, exhibitions and updates.

The Chorlton-cum-Hardy based studio was founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall in 1976, it quickly became the UK’s largest animation house. Cosgrove Hall Films produced quality animation by bringing together some of the biggest talents, puppet-makers, actors and animators in the UK to create, adapt and produce popular animations, including Noddy, Animal Shelf and Postman Pat. They also brought characters from popular childhood fiction to life in animations such as Roald Dahl’s The BFG (1989), Kenneth Graham’s Wind in the Willows (1983), and Terry Pratchett's Truckers (1992). Puppet-makers Mackinnon & Saunders started their careers at the studio, as did BAFTA-winning animator Barry Purves and Art Director Bridget Appleby.

*Source Cosgrovehall Films Archive