This film is part of Free

Police Annual Inspection at Birchfields Park (1901)

Edwardian Manchester bobbies are put through their paces.

Non-Fiction 1901 9 mins Silent

Overview

The filmmakers position their cameras to great effect in these scenes of formation marching. The massed ranks of Manchester's police officers and their horses and bicycles rhythmically criss-cross the frame. No doubt to the embarrassment of the officers concerned, the camera catches the skittish disarray of horses and the fall of a rider and mount in front of the VIP gathering.