Noel Drewe was not only a circus historian and collector but he was also an avid film enthusiast with a keen flair for filmmaking. What makes this collection so unique aside from the scope and quality of the material is the accompanying notes he made, spanning several decades of passionate collection and observations. These commonly included both his own reaction to the film and any press information he gathered relating to the material.

His collection consists of an array of both amateur and professional moving image material on a multitude of formats. Noel made several of the films with his father Frank, dating as far back as 1937. These short films shot on 8mm feature an eclectic mix of fairground experiences, illustrating the pleasures of Battersea fun fair, Southend-on-Sea, Kent seaside, Folkstone, Clacton and Southsea on Kodachrome colour film stock.