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Exponents of Britain's newest religion don their Sunday best for a parade through Edwardian Manchester.
Non-Fiction 1901 7 mins Silent
Spiritualism emerged in the mid-19th century and promoted the belief that the dead can communicate with the living. By 1901 the controversial new religion boasted millions of followers in the US and Britain, and not one but three reels of film were lavished on this lively procession. The smart dresses, hats and suits attest to the Spiritualist Church's largely middle-class congregation.
The film was made by showman Arthur Duncan Thomas, who passed himself off as the American inventor Thomas Edison. "Edison Will Reproduce this Procession in Animated Photograph Twice Daily, St. James' Hall Manchester", reads a promotional placard seen in the film. Contemporary viewers may be surprised to see so many younger participants - among the colourful banners, including one held aloft by members of the 'Royal Spiritual Lyceum', one slogan reads "Open the door for the children". Despite a resurgence of popularity in the 1920s, the movement went into sharp decline, but a network of Spiritualist Churches remains, including several in Greater Manchester.
Non-Fiction 1901 1 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
Early league football, with the team who will become Birmingham City losing at Anfield in a relegation year.
Non-Fiction 1899 2 mins Silent Location: Rhyl
Fun on Rhyl seafront as E. H. Williams and his troupe entertain crowds with much ducking and diving in this hectic act.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Widnes
A multitude of Lancashire schoolchildren is ushered past the camera.
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Fartown Ground, Huddersfield
The annual championship meeting of England's premier athletics association.
Non-Fiction 1901 5 mins Silent Location: Accrington
Marching bands and local volunteers fill the streets of the Lancashire town.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Carlisle
The circus comes to town in wintery Carlisle.
Charity appeal 1934 8 mins Location: Southport
Windows of opportunity: how a charity aimed to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
Documentary 1946 51 mins Location: Manchester
A brisk look at the tests and education practices for deaf people in 1940s
Promotional 1968 29 mins Location: Manchester
Faith in the inner city - the mission of the Sharon Full Gospel Church in Manchester.
Student film 1984 3 mins Location: Manchester
Infatuation amongst the bookshelves, or a mind playing tricks? The viewer can decide...
Promotional 1958 13 mins Location: Manchester
Earning and learning, as an apprentice begins his working life.
Documentary 1984 15 mins Location: Collyhurst
Meet Brian Hughes, helping dreams come true for the aspiring boxers of Manchester.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1933 2 mins
Hand-drawn sound experiment by Bauhaus professor László Moholy-Nagy.
Advert 1974 1 mins Location: Shaftesbury
A classic slice of British advertising history, though that hill's not as Northern as it looks...
Non-Fiction 1901 3 mins Silent Location: Rotherham
Edwardian workers react to the camera at one of Rotherham's major employers.
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Great Moor St, Bolton
Eager youngsters burst out of the gates of a Victorian cotton mill.
Sport 1901 1 mins Silent Location: Henley-on-Thames
It's the first weekend of July 1901, and high society are on the Thames
Advert 1898 1 mins Silent Location: St Pancras
An unusual farewell in this charming early film
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