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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.
Sport 1896 0 mins Silent
A pioneering example of filmed news: from Epsom to the screen in record time
Interest film 1899 1 mins Silent
A big cat has to perform for its supper in this early actuality film
Non-Fiction 1900 0 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
Take a good look at one of the era's largest warships - the hefty H.M.S. Powerful, back from the Boer War
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Belfast
A view down the High Street featuring the Albert Clock, a shot of Queen's Bridge and the docks
Non-Fiction 1897 1 mins Silent
A charming image of children paddling on a pebbly beach on a hot summer's day
Amateur film 1898 2 mins Silent
A pack of beagles are assembled for a hunt by their trainers and a huntsman
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.
Documentary 2020 11 mins
Searching for one of the last people to speak Gayle - a secret language the gay community were forced to invent during Apartheid.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2017 4 mins
A comedy-drama animation about two best friends growing up in the same world but experiencing it completely differently.
Drama 2019 14 mins
An African Pentecostal Pastor questions everything she believes after a life-changing event.
Drama 2018 8 mins
Samona Olanipekun explores the concepts of home, identity and belonging, from the starting point of the theme of globalisation.
Drama 2017 16 mins
Compelling story of a complex relationship between an imperious father and his son.
Documentary 2020 28 mins
Three African American fathers unravel the incomparable partnership of forgiveness and community.
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