Gladstone's Funeral - Entering Westminster Abbey

The State Funeral of former Prime Minister William Ewart prompted a media event that saw a number of companies present. Most of their footage of the day does not survive, making these images of the procession all the more precious.

Few statesman held such sway over the politics of Victorian Britain as William Gladstone. Four times Prime Minister, he is still the oldest person to hold the position, earning himself the nickname of the 'Grand Old Man'. But it was his leadership of the Liberal Party, and his association with a new democratic politics that earned him the respect of working-class Britain.