This film is part of Free
Mitcham Fair
"The usual three days merriment on Mitcham Common"
Overview
"The usual three days merriment on Mitcham Common" is the subject of this simple but delightful early Topical Budget newsreel item. A single slow panning shot (allowing for a slight skip where a few frames seem to have gone missing from this print) offers us an evocative panorama of the fairground's many attractions, and showcases the surprisingly formal (by today's standards at least) costumes of these Edwardian pleasure-seekers.
In 1913, Mitcham, now in the London Borough of Merton, was still part of Surrey.
Related
Spotlight at the Fair Spotlight at the Fair
Documentary 1951 18 mins Silent Location: Mitcham
Rides, boxing booths, and a dog-faced monkey keep on moving as the travelling fair hits Mitcham and Stratford-upon-Avon, with a look in at Blackpool.
Surrey Frolics on the Green Surrey Frolics on the Green
Non-Fiction 1927 1 mins Silent Location: Mitcham
Carousels, doubling up on the helter skelter and an enormous key feature in this fabulous film of the annual funfair on Mitcham Green
Mitcham - Our Athletic Girls Mitcham - Our Athletic Girls
Non-Fiction 1928 1 mins Silent Location: Mitcham
There are two mighty performances from one of Britain’s first female athletics stars at this meeting in Mitcham.
See-saw Cycling See-saw Cycling
Non-Fiction 1928 1 mins Silent Location: Mitcham
Thrills and spills on two wheels at a charity motorcycling gymkhana in Mitcham, Surrey.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Blades Blades
Drama 2023 2 mins
A group of young Black boys run into a building. One of them is about to do the unimaginable.
We Collide We Collide
Romance 2023 2 mins
A queercore romance - a visceral and immersive exploration of the power of the mosh pit and finding love in the most unlikely of places.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.