This film is part of Free
Living Wigan (1902)
A lively crowd surround the camera filming a tram leaving Wigan Market Place.
Overview
This vibrant film was shown as part of the Lancashire town's celebrations of Edward VII's coronation. People wave, cheer and laugh at the camera as a tram worker playfully tries to clear them out of the way by spraying them with water. As the camera pans to follow the tram disappearing down the hill, it passes over women in shawls, men smoking, and a little girl in a bonnet being held aloft.
The tram network - closed in the 1930s - ran to Wigan Pier. By 1902, the Wigan Corporation had taken full control of the town's tram network, and had begun a programme of electrification.
Related
Night Mail Night Mail
Documentary 1936 24 mins Location: Euston Sta
The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and the verse of W.H. Auden.
Wembley Bound! Wembley Bound!
Non-Fiction 1929 1 mins Silent Location: Wigan
The short-lived minnows Wigan Borough F.C. take on the mighty Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the FA Cup.
Employees at Walker Engineering Works, Wigan (1900) Employees at Walker Engineering Works, Wigan (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Wigan
Ironfounders and engineers head home after morning shift at Pagefield Works.
Workers Leaving a Factory in Wigan (1902) Workers Leaving a Factory in Wigan (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Wigan
Well-heeled Edwardian workers head home after work.
Turn Out of the Wigan Fire Brigade (1902) Turn Out of the Wigan Fire Brigade (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 2 mins Silent Location: Wigan
Wet weather fails to dampen a thrilling show of horse-drawn fire wagons.
Wigan Coronation Celebrations and Street Scenes (1902) Wigan Coronation Celebrations and Street Scenes (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 5 mins Silent Location: Wigan
Men and boys (and a few girls) mark Edward VII's coronation on the picturesque cobbled streets of central Wigan.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.