This film is part of Free
Greenwich Clock and Observatory
Tick-tock, tick-tock...the home of British time-keeping at Greenwich.
Non-Fiction 1928 1 mins Silent
Overview
A treat for horology fans, this short film showcases one of the most important clocks ever made - the Shepherd Gate Clock, mounted outside London's Royal Greenwich Observatory. An integral part of Britain's time system, the clock was also the first to display Greenwich Mean Time to the public. A pan of the beautiful Observatory buildings, overlooking Greenwich Park, reveals the clock in situ.
Installed by Charles Shepherd in 1852, the Shepherd Gate Clock is an early example of an electric slave clock, controlled by electric pulses transmitted from a master clock inside the building. The time observed by the Shepherd master clock was instrumental in establishing a standardised time system across Britain. The clock remains something of a tourist attraction today, as it was when this film was made - notice the healthy crowd of visitors outside the Observatory. Digitisation supported by the London Topographical Society.
Subjects
Related
The London Topographical Society
London Street Scenes - Trafalgar Square
Non-Fiction 1910 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
Spot the changes and continuities in this majestic Edwardian panorama of Trafalgar Square.
Grand Union Canal
Documentary 1937 34 mins Silent Location: Houses of Parliament
Follow working narrow boats as they make their 60-hour trip from London to Birmingham along Britain's longest industrial waterway.
Inter-action in Croydon
Documentary 1971 12 mins Location: Croydon
Do you remember when the moon men came to Croydon? You can bet these kids never forgot the day Dogg's Troupe landed
Fourteen Acres of Green
1977 13 mins Location: Hammersmith
Environmentalists wage war on the Greater London Council in this eye-opening account of a battle to save Hammersmith's open spaces.
London from the Air 2 (Fun Palace outtakes)
Amateur film 1963 3 mins Silent Location: Westminster
Excellent if somewhat jerky aerial shots of London taken from a helicopter and featuring close-ups of Waterloo, the docks and Tower Bridge.
London from the Air 1 (Fun Palace outtakes)
1963 3 mins Silent
London in 1963 was a city in flux, as this spectacular aerial footage shows.
Greenwich
King and Queen at Greenwich Observatory
1925 1 mins Silent Location: Greenwich
King George V and Queen Mary celebrate the 250th anniversary of astronomy at Greenwich.
Canoe
1961 14 mins Silent Location: Greenwich
Boys’ canoe trip on the Thames in London
Ramsgate to Richmond
Amateur film 1967 12 mins Silent Location: Ramsgate
Join the jolly crew aboard this cabin cruiser as it journeys from Ramsgate to Richmond in John Clague's fascinating maritime epic
Waverley at Whitstable
Amateur film 1982 21 mins Location: Whitstable
Come along for a unique journey on the Waverley - the last sea going paddle steamer in the world - and London is our destination
Thames Division
Documentary 1955 16 mins Location: Westminster
Discover the history of the Thames River Police with a rather different tour of London's iconic river.
Greenwich
Amateur film 1973 1 mins Silent Location: Greenwich
Stand on the Prime Meridian line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and wonder at lost views across the River Thames
New
Bamboozled
Comedy 1919 35 mins Silent
A protective father masquerades as an automatic doll in this bonkers interwar comedy.
Spirit of Mayday
1937 11 mins Silent
May Day – a significant day for the labour movement – is covered by the cameras of the Film and Photograph League.
Cornelius Cardew 1936-1981
Performance 1986 55 mins
An exploration of the life and work of the controversial British composer.
Circulation
1935 9 mins
Let it bleed? This exemplary education film gets to the heart of the matter.
U.A.B. (Workers Newsreel No.3)
Non-Fiction 1935 12 mins Silent
Punchy political film capturing mass protests against unemployment.
The Merry Month of May
1937 15 mins Silent
A spirited satire on the coronation of George VI made by members of the Film and Photograph League.