This film is part of Free
Shotton May Fair and John Summers' Picnic, 1913
You wouldn't dress like that for the beach nowadays, but these day trippers are having a whale of a time
Overview
The camera loves these grinning ironworkers who turned out in their Sunday best - and they love the camera, too! The townsfolk of Shotton in Flintshire jostle into shot during springtime festivities, while the staff of John Summers iron and steelworks enjoy an outing to the coast. Timeless images such as maypole dancing are seen alongside contemporary touchstones, like a suffragette tableau. Look out for the man in the star-spangled hat, who could only have been from the future…
Actuality films like this were a staple of early cinema, allowing people the thrill of seeing themselves on screen, often at public film shows on the day of filming - the careful camera movement and attention to faces suggests that might be the case here. Even if the film quality varies and some shots seem repetitious, there's a wealth of historic detail in this footage - whether it's the trains at Blackpool station, the conservative seaside fashions, or the chaps taking the donkey race rather seriously.
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