David Webb (filmmaker)

David Webb (born 26 April 1935) is an English filmmaker, caver and conservationist. He has produced over a dozen films about caving and mine exploration (mostly in the Derbyshire region) and has contributed articles to Descent magazine.[1]

This article is about the filmmaker. For other people, see David Webb (disambiguation).

Early and personal life

Originally from Grimsby, Webb worked in pharmacy up until his retirement. As a pharmacist, he was stationed in Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency. Webb later moved to Nottingham with his family in 1963.[2]

Films

Webb's films have been screened and sold in museums and by caving organisations across the country, with sales often going to the upkeep of the caverns and mines that are depicted in them. Footage from his films have been televised on The One Show and Countryfile. He has been a regular feature at the Hidden Earth and NAMHO conferences.[3]

Webb is particularly known for his film Fight For Life: The Neil Moss Story about the tragic death of Neil Moss in Peak Cavern in 1959. The film is notable for its detailed account of the day's events and interviews with individuals who were present at the rescue operation.[4]

His film To Titan From The Top documented a three-year dig by Dave 'Moose" Nixon and the team as they attempted to excavate a direct path from above to the deepest cave in Britain: Titan near Castleton, Peak District.[5]

After inheriting the 1968 film Underground Journey on 16mm, Webb undertook its digitisation and subsequent DVD production which includes an interview with expedition leader Doug Nash.[6]

Conservation work

As Conservation Officer for the Derbyshire Caving Association (DCA) he played an integral role in the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Monitoring Scheme which audited the special features of 67 caves in the Peak District. This led to it being the first region in the U.K. to complete the monitoring of cave SSSI, for which Webb and the DCA received an award from English Nature.[7]

Awards

In 2012, Webb won the prestigious Giles Barker Award in recognition of excellence in his work of cave photography of over 20 years.[8]

Filmography A-Z
  • Bagshawe Resurgence: A Source of Potential
  • Darfar Ridge Cave: A Conservation Project
  • Ecton Stone Quarry Mine
  • Fight For Life: The Neil Moss Story
  • Goodluck Mine: A Living Legacy[9]
  • Hidden Hydraulics: Sir Francis Level
  • Mow Cop: Tunnels and Tramways
  • Mud & Water
  • Overton Mine: A Mine and its Miners
  • Tearsall Pipe Cavers
  • The High Rake Lead Mine Dig: Reclaiming a Legacy
  • The Hollow Hill: The Story of the Ecton Mines[10]
  • To Titan From The Top
  • Underground Journey
  • When Streams Run Dry: P8 in Drought
  • White River Series: A Conservation Audit
  • Wild Majorca (Sun, Sea and Stalagmites / Torrente De Pareis)

David Webb official website

Derbyshire Caving Association

Goodluck Mine

Masson Caving Group

References
  1. http://caving-library.org.uk/catalogue/BCL/code/php/library.php?action=search&lib=&type=any&search=author&search_string=Dave%20Webb
  2. https://undergroundassignments.com/about/
  3. https://undergroundassignments.com/about/
  4. https://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/2019/03/remembering-neil-moss-sixty-years-after-the-tragedy-of-his-death-in-a-peak-district-cavern/
  5. https://www.gsg.org.uk/node/496
  6. http://www.rrcpc.org.uk/newsletters/NL_V50_N1_A5.htm
  7. https://thedca.org.uk/sssi-monitoring/sssi-competition
  8. https://bcra.org.uk/detail/awards.barker.html
  9. http://www.goodluckmine.org.uk/page25.html
  10. https://www.ectonhillfsa.org.uk/EctonHill/EctonHill.html
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