This film is part of Free
Opening of the Blea Tarn Reservoir (1902)
A wet afternoon in Scolforth can't dampen the civic pride of Lancashire's great and good.
Overview
A wet afternoon in Scolforth can't dampen the civic pride of Lancashire's great and good as the mayor of Lancaster officially opens the new reservoir. Seemingly hundreds cram into the TARDIS-like valve house, while the ordinary folk watch from beyond the gate. One enterprising young man turns his own box brownie on Mitchell and Kenyon's cameraman - if only we could see a copy of his photograph!
Work started at Blea Tarn in 1896, and the reservoir was in use by 1901; this official opening took place on 23 April 1902. According to the Lancaster Guardian, the self-consciousness of some of the attending dignitaries didn't go unnoticed when Mitchell and Kenyon's film screened a few days later: "Much amusement is caused by the 'gait' of some well known personages who have evidently been anxious to make an impression on the camera."
Related
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.