This film is part of Free
Strange Visitors
Had London’s Isle of Dogs seen anything more exotic than elephants and a smoking chimp?
Overview
Bostock’s Circus was world-famous for its travelling ‘jungles’ of exotic animals, and you can imagine viewers rushing to buy tickets after seeing these elephants on film. While newsreels like this existed partly to delight contemporary audiences with quirky and varied material, the images of chained-up animals and a smoking chimp are likely to make a more uncomfortable watch in the present day.
With Millwall given as the location, this scene also presents an antiquated image of London. It’s a tantalising glimpse of how working dockland used to look in an area which has since been heavily redeveloped. Millwall lies on the Isle of Dogs, on the north side of the Thames; it was here that the famous football club originated before moving to south London.
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