This film is part of Free
Victorian County Durham celebrates the construction of Seaham Pier in a formal ceremony.
Non-Fiction 1899 2 mins Silent
This film of the laying of the foundation stone of Seaham Pier perfectly captures the formality and ceremony of Victorian Britain. Top-hatted dignitaries, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Michael Hicks Beach, contrast with the flat-capped men doing the donkey work; elegantly-dressed ladies observe from a safe distance. The film was shot by showman and cinema pioneer George Henderson.
Seaham Harbour's original foundation stone had been laid 71 years earlier, when the town and port were constructed as a means for Lord Londonderry, owner of the Seaham estate, to better manage his coal industry.
Non-Fiction 1901 9 mins Silent Location: Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Did he bowl or did he throw? A fascinating record of an early cricketing controversy.
Non-Fiction 1901 1 mins Silent Location: Kingston upon Hull
A street scene in Edwardian Hull is dominated by advertising for an event to celebrate returning soldiers from the Boer War.
Non-Fiction 1896 2 mins Silent Location: Bradford
The earliest surviving footage of bustling Victorian Bradford.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Tyldesley
Edwardian boys and girls leave school, shuffled along by their earnest teachers.
Interest film 1899 1 mins Silent
A two-wheeled convoy of Victorian gentlewomen in a charming early film enigma.
Non-Fiction 1901 3 mins Silent Location: Irvine
Dock workers unload grain from a cargo ship in Edwardian North Ayrshire.
Amateur film 1963 4 mins Silent Location: Seaham
Making a splash with the breakfast club regulars of the Seaham Harbour Amateur Swimming Club.
Documentary 1971 27 mins Location: Seaham
Mad, bad' poet Lord Byron and a lobster thermidor feature in a melancholy tour of Seaham with popular TV presenter Johnny Morris.
Advert 1985 2 mins
Take a fighter jet, a Top Gun pilot with sunglasses and a brand new SAAB 900 and you have a sure-fire vehicle to launch a Hollywood career.
Promotional 2019 10 mins
A wandering warrior dreams of a new form of expression, in this promo for UNKLE’s album The Road: Part II / Lost Highway Pt. II directed by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones.
1935 16 mins
A rare glimpse of 1930s London in colour: the Thames has never looked lovelier.
Advert 1946 1 mins Silent
Life is looking up! The war is over and the “Corona” Man can visit his “Corona” families once more, door-to-door.
Advert 1962 0 mins Location: Rhyl
Cinema advertisement for Marine Lake & Ocean Beach, Rhyl, a popular destination for crowds set on a day's fun on free rides.
Advert 1942 7 mins Silent Location: Blaenau Ffestiniog
Who could deny these advertising claims: "Attractive hair is the ambition of every woman", and "Your family will enjoy Lincoln potatoes"?
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